Lee expresses regret over controversy sparked by repost of supporter who used derogatory terms

President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret Saturday over a controversy triggered by his repost on X, formerly Twitter, and appealed to his supporters to abandon hateful language and derogatory terms, urging them to conduct themselves with dignity.

In a late-night post on X titled "The President's Friends," Lee said the rough conduct of those close to him ultimately serves as fodder for hate campaigns and a basis for criticism directed at him rather than broadening support. "In the end, it is the majority of citizens with no vested interest who will render judgment," he said. He went on to say that supporters should set aside hatred, mockery and emotional attacks, and instead pursue rational criticism grounded in facts and affection, persuasion with dignity and warm appeals.

Explaining the background to the repost, Lee said the episode — stemming from his Saturday repost of a supporter's X post — was regrettable in several respects. "When quoting someone's post on Twitter, it is not possible to check every past post and expression by the author," he said. "Quoting an anonymous post means quoting the expressed content itself — it does not mean endorsing, defending or agreeing with everything the author has ever written." He added that he nonetheless wished to express regret to anyone hurt by other posts written by the author of the quoted content.

Lee described his supporters as "the president's friends" and called them comrades who rely on each other to realize their respective dreams. "You are Lee Jae Myung, and you are the president — please think and act accordingly," he said.

He also revisited his earlier decision to disband "Songahyeok" — short for "Songarak Hyeongmyunggun," or Finger Revolution Army — a once-vocal hard-core fan group. "I hope people will reflect once more on why Songahyeok was disbanded," Lee said. He described himself as a president of unity who must serve all citizens and a president of reform who must bring together everyone who wants a better world. "Fueling conflict and hostility through verbal abuse, mockery, derogatory terms and hatred — rather than healthy debate and rational criticism — shrinks our allies and swells our enemies," he said. "It does not advance reform and unity; it raises the barriers to them."

The controversy began Saturday, after a press conference open to the public, when Lee reposted a supporter's X post summarizing what it described as his reform achievements, adding the comments "Thank you. This is a great comfort" and "More reform, a better world."

The post cited as key achievements the consolidation of public enterprises, the abolition of the Prosecution Service and its supplementary investigative authority, a strengthened comprehensive real estate tax on multi-home owners and holders of ultra-high-priced properties, a Kospi level of 7,000, three major AI mega-projects and the relocation of public institutions to regional areas. However, backlash erupted when it emerged that the post's author had previously used a derogatory portmanteau term to demean traditional supporters of the ruling camp — targeting former President Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk, head of the Rebuilding Korea Party's policy research institute, broadcaster Kim Eou-joon, lawmaker Jung Chung-rae and writer Yoo Si-min. Lee subsequently deleted the post.