President Lee Jae Myung’s reported offer of the prime ministership to former conservative lawmaker Yoo Seong-min has reignited debate over the new administration’s approach to cross-party appointments, raising questions about whether pragmatism can withstand Korea’s deeply polarized political environment. The disclosure followed Lee’s earlier decision to nominate Lee Hye-hoon, a former opposition People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker, as the first minister of the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget. The two cases have come to define Lee’s stated intention to draw talent from across party lines — a governing philosophy that is often praised in principle, but rarely rewarded in practice. Despite the presidential office’s emphasis on unity and pragmatism, the political response was immediate and unforgiving. Efforts to cross partisan boundaries were quickly recast as attempts to weaken the opposition, highlighting how narrow the space for nontraditional appointments remains. Cross-party moves Yoo said that Lee’s camp had approached him with an offer to serve as pri