"Do Not Fight Like Enemies"... Differences Remain Over Supplementary Investigation Rights

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung also addressed rumors of conflict within the ruling party. He stated, "We should not be at war rather than competing," and added, "We must not fight like enemies." Regarding the issue of the prosecution's supplementary investigation rights, which Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae has vowed to abolish entirely, the President mentioned that it is being used as a political slogan, leading to interpretations that he was indirectly criticizing leader Jung.

Reported by Kang Min-u.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung said during a briefing on the results of his overseas trip today (June 19), "State affairs have not changed, but since the election, approval ratings have plummeted," adding, "I will take the public's assessment seriously."

He identified the following as the biggest reason for the decline in approval ratings.

[President Lee Jae-myung: That is likely the biggest reason. 'People are struggling to make a living, so what are they fighting about?']

Regarding the rumors of conflict between the party and the government, which spread after Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae did not attend the farewell ceremony for the President's European tour on the 9th, President Lee emphasized the principle that the party and the government can offer necessary "bitter advice" to each other.

[President Lee Jae-myung: It may look like there is a huge conflict to you all, but I think it is a process to become better.]

He then added the following.

[President Lee Jae-myung: Do not fight like enemies. Should we be at war instead of competing (within the same camp)?]

Regarding the issue of the prosecution's "supplementary investigation rights," he stated that while it is a matter for the National Assembly to decide, "oppressive methods should not be used," implying that blocking even exceptional cases could lead to problems later.

[President Lee Jae-myung: You shouldn't give up making soy sauce just because you're afraid of maggots; if there's a possibility of maggots, you can just find and block them. If you absolutely cannot block them, it wouldn't be too late to give up making soy sauce then.]

He also mentioned that this issue is being used as a political slogan, which has been interpreted as an indirect criticism of the situation where Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae vowed to "completely abolish" the rights again this morning.

Lawmakers close to Lee within the Democratic Party interpreted his remarks as saying, "Leader Jung's leadership is over," and "It is a consistent message that leader Jung is not the right person."

On the other hand, some lawmakers close to Jung reacted by saying that the President was expressing his desire for the party to stop the internal fighting, which has even involved the use of derogatory terms.

(Video reporting: Jung Sang-bo, Yoon Hyung | Video editing: Lee Seung-hee | Graphics: Choi Ha-neul)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.