President Lee Jae-myung faced strong criticism after severely reprimanding public officials during a public policy briefing, referencing the so-called 'bookmark dollar smuggling' method. Recently, social media has been raising suspicions, suggesting that this method is a key issue in the trial concerning his alleged involvement in the Ssangbangul North Korea remittance scandal. ⒸHanmi Ilbo

President Lee Jae-myung faced strong criticism after severely reprimanding public officials during a public policy briefing, referencing the so-called 'bookmark dollar smuggling' method.

Recently, social media has been raising suspicions, suggesting that this method is a key issue in the trial concerning his alleged involvement in the Ssangbangul North Korea remittance scandal.

During the policy briefing with relevant ministries including the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 12th, President Lee directly asked, "Is it true that if tens of thousands of dollars are divided into $100 bills and smuggled within books like bookmarks, it won't be caught?"

When Lee Hak-jae, the president of Incheon International Airport Corporation, could not provide a clear answer, President Lee unleashed a barrage of criticism in the public forum, saying, "Really, you're taking so long," and "Are you playing somewhere else right now?" which was close to public humiliation.

Subsequently, the scene was uploaded to various social media platforms, leading to controversy. Interpretations included, "Beyond a simple administrative inspection, the President directly mentioned and reconfirmed the specific method of illegal foreign currency smuggling," and "The President publicly explained a criminal method."

Nevertheless, President Lee squarely refuted the controversy during the policy briefing for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Korean Intellectual Property Office held at the Sejong Convention Center on the 17th.

He argued, "There are people criticizing me for teaching crimes," adding, "It has been known for a long time, and it's all mentioned in the comments." He further dismissed the criticism, stating, "It's no different from saying 'Love and War' teaches how to have an affair."

However, the conservative camp points out that this explanation is merely self-defense that misses the core issue.

This is because the 'bookmark dollar' method is not a general theory, but the very method at the center of suspicions that Ssangbangul split cash dollars and hid them between documents and books to smuggle them to North Korea multiple times.

The trial proceedings related to President Lee in this case have been effectively suspended and postponed due to political and procedural reasons.

Despite this, President Lee did not mention his involvement in the case, explaining it as if it were a criminal case of a third party unrelated to him, drawing a line by saying, "The public knows everything," and "It's something that has been happening since long ago."

The bigger problem is that President Lee severely reprimanded public officials at the same meeting, saying, "If you don't know, say you don't know," and "Enjoying only authority and not fulfilling responsibility is the disposition of a thief." The conservative camp is raising a fundamental question: "Is that standard equally applied to the President himself?"

A political source criticized, "While emphasizing administrative transparency and openness, the reality of the stalled trial regarding serious foreign exchange and security allegations in which he is involved is met with silence, which is a clear double standard." "Before talking about the public, it is a responsible attitude to explain his own judicial suspicions to the public first."

As President Lee said, "The public sees everything," public attention is now directed not at the public officials' attitudes in their answers, but at the President's own words and actions, and the stalled trial.

Hanmi Ilbo Editorial Department