The Blue House has strongly denied claims made by Choi Min-hee, a senior member of the Democratic Party, that President Lee Jae-myung opposed the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Choi has since apologized for the confusion surrounding her remarks.
On November 12, Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong stated, "Choi's comments are unfounded, and we express strong regret over this matter."
Earlier, the magazine Sisa Journal reported that during a private meeting in mid-October in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, Choi claimed that President Lee opposed Yoon's impeachment and suggested he should resign.
According to the report, Choi mentioned the impeachment of Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, stating, "I believe we should impeach Cho Hee-dae, and we have already missed the timing twice," adding, "President Lee also opposed the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol."
Choi further alleged that President Lee had expressed a desire to work with then-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, saying, "Let's just try to make it work towards resignation."
Choi explained that President Lee preferred resignation over impeachment to secure support from the moderate electorate. She remarked, "Even the president's political judgments are not always correct," and added, "It was wrong."
Choi also commented on Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, stating that if he fails to raise the party's approval rating by 10 percentage points within 100 days of his inauguration, she would demand reforms.
Regarding potential political realignment, she noted the absence of new political forces, stating, "Young men in their 20s and 30s have become radicalized. Is this the future?"
As the controversy grew, Choi took to Facebook to clarify, saying, "It seems that some content from the private party meeting was distorted and leaked to the media."
She explained that her comments about President Lee opposing impeachment arose during a discussion about writer Yoo Si-min's remarks regarding the president's alleged deception related to judicial reform. Choi concluded by stating, "President Lee has consistently advocated for the impeachment of former President Yoon since the coup, and I apologize for the confusion regarding the timing."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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