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Mind the gap between the presidential office and ruling party

Published: 09 Oct. 2025, 00:00

Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae (right) shakes hands with Woo Sang-ho, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, during a high-level dinner meeting of the Democratic Party, the government and the presidential office at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 14. [YONHAP]

Woo Sang-ho, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, stirred controversy with comments during the Chuseok holidays about a “difference in temperature” with the Democratic Party (DP). In a radio interview on Oct. 6, Woo said he “fully agrees with the DP’s positions and intent, but sometimes there is a gap in speed and temperature.” He added that when he relays the president’s thinking, the party is sometimes put in a difficult spot. The remarks were read as a warning from the presidential office to the party, unsettling voters who had seen the DP celebrating its pace of reforms.

Woo also said the question President Lee Jae Myung asks most often is, “Why did the party make that decision?” The signal was plain: The pushback against the party’s campaign to discipline the judiciary and accelerate prosecutorial reforms reflects the president’s wishes. Aides appeared concerned that debate over a parliamentary hearing targeting Chief Justice Jo Hee-de overshadowed the president’s UN trip while the DP leader’s hard line — exemplified by remarks like “Are judges gods?” — risked eroding approval. Some in the DP say the presidential office moved to keep these dynamics from harming tariff talks or the APEC agenda. On Oct. 10, the office also said the president heard that “bread-and-butter concerns remain paramount.”

Woo’s point that the inquiry into summoning Chief Justice Jo to a National Assembly audit should be handled “without noise” was widely viewed as a shot at both DP leader Jung Chung-rae and Choo Mi-ae, the chair of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, who have led the reform drive.

Jung did not issue a formal response but signaled displeasure on social media, posting short slogans such as “Remember the prosecution’s abuses, remember President Roh Moo-hyun’s death!” and “Remember Jo Hee-de’s revolt, remember judicial reform!” DP Rep. Park Ji-won criticized Woo online, saying comments like “Why is the party like this?” belong in a private chat room.

Attention now turns to whether the party modulates pressure on the courts and eases the pace of reforms. In a holiday message, President Lee wrote that he had “renewed his resolve to be a president for everyone.” The DP urged the People Power Party on Oct. 10 to convene a plenary session right after the break to pass more than 70 non-contentious livelihood bills, calling for “politics that earn their keep.”

Even if the presidential office is stepping in to untangle a difficult political moment, President Lee is not free from the responsibility of slipping support. He amplified the timetable by tying the abolition of the prosecutors’ office to the Chuseok period. Before focusing on differences with the DP, the presidential office must take stock of any widening gap between the president and public sentiment.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.