What did Lee Jae Myung mean by “irresponsible extremism” in the prosecution reform debate?

Lee described it as making excessive, inflammatory demands or insisting on an all-or-nothing approach while attacking people seeking reform. He said such conduct could serve hidden political or personal agendas and hinder prosecution reform.

Why did Lee Jae Myung criticize hard-line demands for prosecution reform?

Lee argued that portraying one all-or-nothing approach as the only genuine form of reform, while inciting fears of failure, could take advantage of people’s urgent desire for change and obstruct those sincerely pursuing reform.

What investigative powers do prosecutors retain under South Korea’s recently enacted prosecution reform bill?

The bill removed the prosecution’s investigative power, including the ability to conduct supplementary investigations. Prosecutors retain the authority to indict and maintain indictments.

Lee warns against 'irresponsible extremism' jeopardizing reforms

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung warned on Wednesday that what he called “irresponsible extremism” could jeopardize effective prosecution reform. He said some people use excessive, inflammatory demands to advance hidden political or personal agendas and undermine those sincerely seeking reform. His remarks on X responded to a user who demanded an apology for his description of critics. The comments were widely seen as aimed at hard-liners in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who accused him of backtracking.

Key Facts

Lee said all-or-nothing demands and attacks on people seeking reform can exploit public urgency and fears that reform will fail.
Lee had called for prosecutors to retain the right to conduct supplementary investigations in exceptional cases.
The recently enacted reform bill removed all investigative power from the prosecution, leaving it with authority to indict and maintain indictments.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 28, 2026 9:29 am KST

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday warned against "irresponsible extremism" that he said is demanding excessive reform, insisting such extremism may jeopardize effective reforms.

Lee made the remarks on the social platform X in response to a user demanding he apologize for describing his critics as "irresponsible extremists."

"There are those who sincerely call for prosecution reform for the country and the people, but there are also those who, in reality, hinder prosecution reform by only calling for clarity or making excessive, inflammatory demands for their hidden political and personal agendas," the president wrote.

"Calling for 'all-or-nothing' approaches as if they are the only true leader of reform and attacking those who are genuinely seeking reform while inciting fears of failure to take advantage of the urgent desire of some people to reform is irresponsible extremism," he added.

Lee's message was widely seen as targeting hard-liners within his ruling Democratic Party of Korea who accused Lee of backtracking on prosecution reform, the party's long-standing agenda.

Lee earlier called for allowing prosecutors to retain the right to conduct supplementary investigations in exceptional cases, but the reform bill legislated by the ruling party that recently went into effect completely stripped the prosecution of all investigative power, leaving only the authority to indict and maintain indictments.

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