A prominent liberal political commentator has accused President Lee Jae Myung of behaving like an “arrogant ruler” and seeking to control the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in a manner reminiscent of a monarchy. Rhyu Si-min, a former lawmaker from the liberal bloc who also served as welfare minister before becoming a political pundit, claimed the president handpicked the DPK’s new chairman and used him as a proxy to tighten his grip on the ruling party. Rhyu was referring to Kim Min-seok, who served as Lee’s first prime minister before being elected as DPK leader on Aug. 17. Kim won a bitter leadership race against Jung Chung-rae, a leading figure in a DPK faction regarded as being at odds with Lee. “When a president handpicks someone to lead the ruling party and tries to get that person elected, the country is moving toward monarchy and aristocracy,” Rhyu said during a YouTube program on Monday. “The president tried to control the party by sending in his proxy. That runs counter to the spirit of a republic,” Rhyu added. His blunt criticism is drawing attention beca