Hong Ikpyo on the "New Lee Jaemyung" Phenomenon: "President Lee Says, 'Why Give It Such a Grand Name?'"

Revealed in MBC Radio Interview

"Mainstream Power Struggle Frame Is Inappropriate"

Hong Ikpyo, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs to the President, stated on the 3rd that President Lee Jaemyung showed a calm response regarding the recently emerging "New Lee Jaemyung" phenomenon in political circles, saying, "They are attaching a grand name to it."

Appearing on MBC Radio that day, he said, "It is a phenomenon where new supporters are shifting to join the existing Democratic Party of Korea base. Framing it as if there is a power struggle between the 'Old Lee Jaemyung' faction and the mainstream is inappropriate," warning against fueling excessive conflict. He added, "In a situation where the president's approval rating is higher than the party's support rating, it is the role of the party to fully absorb these people as Democratic Party supporters."

Hong Ikpyo, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs to the President. Photo by Yonhap News

On February 25, President Lee himself shared a media column about the "New Lee Jaemyung" phenomenon on his social media. This term refers to the new supporters who joined after the presidential election. Recently, its usage has expanded as a concept contrasted with the "Old Lee Jaemyung" faction, which refers to the party establishment, especially amid the merger process between the Democratic Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party.

Senior Secretary Hong also mentioned the status of President Lee’s apartment in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, which was put up for sale on February 27 for 2.9 billion won. He explained, "A potential buyer has expressed interest in purchasing at the listed price, but an official contract has not yet been signed." Regarding the sale price, he added, "Apartments in that complex typically trade for between 3.2 and 3.3 billion won," and "the price was set lower than last year's highest price."

Meanwhile, Senior Secretary Hong addressed past controversial remarks by Lee Byungtae, nominee for Vice Chairperson (ministerial level) of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee, saying, "It was an inappropriate comment. There needs to be an opportunity for explanation."

Nominee Lee had previously criticized former President Moon Jaein's minimum wage increase policy on social media, saying, "Is he suffering from dementia or schizophrenia?" He also sparked controversy by disparaging the Sewol ferry disaster as "a symbol of vulgarity" and "an unfortunate traffic accident."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.