Lee tells ruling party: Direct your passion toward 'all citizens,' not just your own camp

President Lee Jae Myung, on a state visit to Italy, said Saturday that "the ruling party's passion must be directed not at 'our camp' but at 'all citizens.'"

Lee made the remarks on X, formerly Twitter, saying the ruling party must play the role of a "big vessel" — managing conflict and minimizing backlash through constant dialogue and communication rather than confrontation and exclusion.

The comments were widely read as a veiled rebuke of the ruling party leadership, which has recently been at odds with Cheong Wa Dae, signaling that the party should stop acting like a combative opposition force and instead focus on governing results and inclusiveness rather than factional interests.

"For the opposition party, monitoring, checking and attacking the ruling party and the government are important — but for the ruling party, what matters is the ability and track record of taking responsibility with the power it has been given, along with inclusion and unity," Lee said. He went on to say that the ruling party "should not abandon its convictions, but must focus more on the 'language of responsibility' than the language of conviction."

Lee defined the ruling party's role this way: having already taken power, it can realize its values and convictions through action rather than rhetoric using the formal authority it holds — but in return, it must take full responsibility for the nation's future and the lives of all citizens, and seek to return to power by proving results.

He then noted that "politicians often lose their way amid ideals, reality and complex competing interests," and introduced what he described as the three qualities the philosopher Max Weber said a politician must possess.

The three qualities Lee cited from Weber are: passion for a cause rather than self-interest, unlimited responsibility for the consequences of one's actions, and a sense of balance between reality and ideals.

"A realist without ideals becomes an opportunist chasing only immediate gain, and an idealist without a sense of reality becomes an incompetent demagogue who focuses on taking sides without offering solutions," Lee said. He went on to say that "if politics ignores the constraints of reality and the limits of human beings and insists only on ideals, it falls into dogmatism and factionalism — and if it loses its ideals, it degenerates into a mere exercise in holding on to power."

He also said those in power must focus on execution guided by cool-headed balance, not slogans or rhetoric.

Lee added, "If we are to be a strong force, I would prefer a vast ocean that holds and purifies everything over a torrent that sweeps everything away," and said that "if we must inevitably break through obstacles, we must not forget to show consideration and empathy for those who are hurt in the process."

He went on to urge the ruling party to embrace inclusion and openness while bearing unlimited responsibility for outcomes. "Having already taken power with a mandate from the people, we must deliberate with the most burning passion directed at the public good rather than private interest — while harmonizing reality and ideals with the coolest sense of balance," Lee said. "We must overcome obstacles and interference, and take unlimited responsibility for the results."