South Korean President Lee calls for ‘unity, inclusion’ amid backlash over his pick of opposition figure as minister
Seoul: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for ‘unity and inclusion’ on Tuesday after his nomination of an Opposition politician to a ministerial post drew backlash from both the ruling and Opposition blocs.
Lee made the remarks during a Cabinet meeting, stressing that sustained efforts toward unity are essential to building a society that moves away from extreme confrontation and toward one that embraces differences.
“This is not a political maneuver,” Lee said. “If we are to return to a normal society, we must make efforts toward unity and inclusion more strongly and consistently,” Yonhap News Agency reported.
“If only those who took part in the struggle for power are allowed to enjoy everything and everyone else is excluded, that is not politics but war,” he said.
On Sunday, Lee nominated Lee Hye-hoon, a former three-term conservative lawmaker, to head the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget. But her nomination has sparked criticism from both sides of the aisle, especially since she is known to have supported Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law bid.
Lee Hye-hoon apologised on Tuesday for her past remarks supporting the botched martial law. Some Opposition lawmakers have called her a traitor.
The president also pointed out that such acts of trying to eliminate all groups over different views are precisely what constitute insurrection.
“The president’s greatest responsibility is to bring national unity,” he said, adding that differing positions should be seen as not a source of discomfort but a source of synergy.
Monday’s Cabinet meeting marked the first since the relocation of the presidential compound back to Cheong Wa Dae from Yongsan, where it had been relocated under the previous Yoon government.
Lee said the relocation reflects the restoration of South Korea’s democracy, ending a period that eroded the constitutional order.
“The return to Cheong Wa Dae is a symbolic milestone that brings to a close the Yongsan era marred by the erosion of the constitutional order and demonstrates that sovereignty and democracy have been restored,” he said.
“We will further reinforce our principle and philosophy that the people are at the center of state affairs and that governance is achieved through the people,” he said.
Yoon, who was removed from office in April following his failed attempt to impose martial law, relocated the presidential office to the defense ministry compound in Yongsan after taking office in 2022. Returning to Cheong Wa Dae was one of Lee’s early campaign pledges.
Lee went on to highlight that the country has overcome the unprecedented crisis triggered by the martial law through the strength of the people, mentioning latest upbeat export and foreign investment figures as a sign of recovery and normalization of state affairs.
“We will move forward toward a major leap for growth that benefits everyone,” he said.