Yoon Sang-hyun coins 'LACO' to mock Lee Jae-myung's reform hesitancy

People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun on Saturday criticized President Lee Jae-myung's pragmatist policy line, coining the term "LACO" — Lee Always Chickens Out — in a parallel to the "TACO" (Trump Always Chickens Out) label attached to US President Donald Trump.

In a Facebook post, Yoon said he had seen it coming, adding that "the reform promises the Lee government put forward under the banner of pragmatism are showing signs of once again ending in empty talk."

"They said they would review exempting the semiconductor industry from the 52-hour workweek, yet when it comes to actually reforming the system, the line is that the existing framework will do," Yoon said. "Are they going to carry out reform or not?"

He said that if Trump had earned the TACO label, President Lee deserved one of his own. "LACO — Lee Always Chickens Out. He calls for reform but tucks his tail at the decisive moment. Could there be a more fitting description?" Yoon said.

Yoon pressed further, saying "semiconductor R&D is a race against time" and questioning whether it was reasonable to insist on a uniform working-hours regulation for R&D operations while countries around the world were staking everything on technological supremacy.

He also said the government's proposed alternative — special extended working hours — was only a temporary exception. "A system that requires worker consent and government approval has inherent limits in providing stable, long-term support for research and development," he said.

Yoon extended his criticism to labor exemptions under the proposed mega-regional special zone legislation, saying the government had touted sweeping deregulation only to punt the core issues to social dialogue.

"There is no reform without opposition," he said. "If you only pursue policies everyone agrees with, that is not reform — it is popularity management."

Appealing directly to moderate conservatives, Yoon said it was time for a sober assessment. "No matter how impressive the reform menu looks, what is the point if the food never reaches the table? If the same scene keeps repeating, people must stop being fooled by words," he said.

The Democratic Party has prepared two versions of a mega-regional special zone bill to support large-scale projects — one that includes a 52-hour workweek exemption and one that does not.

The People Power Party has proposed to the Democratic Party that the two sides discuss and reach a conclusion on the 52-hour exemption for high-income and research workers after the national audit concludes.

Meanwhile, President Lee, presiding over a full session of the Regulatory Rationalization Committee on Friday, said he hoped the parties would "reach a good agreement" on the 52-hour exemption issue.

He also urged the National Assembly to act, saying regulatory rationalization required a great deal of legislation. "There are many conflicting interests that will make this difficult, but please help prioritize and move quickly," Lee said.