Yu Si-min likens hardline supporters, derogatory labels to 'pebble in a shoe' isolating President Lee

Author Yu Si-min said a "pebble in the shoe" is politically isolating President Lee Jae Myung, urging the president to confront the root of the problem squarely and shake it out for good — sharp words directed at the recent controversy over Lee's social media post and the use of derogatory nicknames within his own camp.

Yu appeared Sunday on the first live broadcast of "Tak Hyun-min's The Beautiful," a talk show on the YouTube channel "Kim Eojun's Humility Is Hard News Factory," and used the shoe-and-pebble metaphor to assess President Lee's Saturday statement and the tensions simmering within his political camp.

Earlier, on Friday, Lee had shared on X (formerly Twitter) a supporter's post summarizing his reform achievements, only to delete it after it emerged that the author had previously used a derogatory portmanteau — combining slurs targeting former President Moon Jae-in, Cho Kuk and Yu Si-min himself — to demean the three figures. Lee then posted a statement expressing regret and calling on his supporters to conduct themselves with dignity.

When former Cheong Wa Dae protocol secretary Tak Hyun-min asked whether the president's message could serve as an occasion to remove the pebble from the shoe, Yu drew a line. "I don't think it will go that far," he said.

"You walk better once you take the pebble out," Yu said. "If a small stone gets into your shoe on a dirt road, you have to stop, take it out and shake it clean before moving on. Right now, the president doesn't seem to think a pebble has gotten in — he just feels vaguely uncomfortable and stays put."

Yu then leveled sharp criticism at the behavior of hardline supporters who use derogatory language. "Insulting someone with a slur does not damage that person's dignity," he said. "Dignity is something you build yourself — the people who say such things are the ones harming their own dignity."

He went on to say, "That kind of language makes people who like me end up disliking the very person they claim to admire — President Lee Jae Myung. Those pebbles have caused the president considerable pain and politically isolated him for well over a year now, yet the president does not seem to be making that diagnosis clearly."

Yu also turned his criticism toward the conduct of state affairs. "The president is in a situation where he cannot walk properly," he said. "If he takes off his shoe right now, shakes it out and removes the stone, he can get back to his original pace — but instead, people around him are saying, 'You're the reason he can't walk.'"

"I didn't put the stone in — I simply said there was one," he added. "To shake out the shoe, you first have to take it off so you can see what's actually inside."