It was also known as Silyong Jeongbu (Korean: 실용정부; Hanja: 實用政府), the "pragmatic government", a name deriving from Lee's campaign slogan.

[2] Politically, the administration was marked by an ongoing internal dispute between the factions of Lee and Park Geun-hye within the ruling party after an intense contest between the two in the primaries preceding the 2007 elections.

[6] Critics alleged that GNP catered to big business, did not fix the unemployment crisis, and allowed income inequality to increase.

The Korea Development Institute released a statement on October 27, 2011 that the potential unemployment rate of this time by using the survey method of the International Labour Organization was 21.2% rather than the government's 4.8%.

GNP floor leader Hwang Woo-yeo had decided to ratify it 2 days earlier due to a noticeable deadlock from the disagreements of opponents.

[15] Nam Kyung-pil, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee chairman and a GNP member, resigned as his party failed to reach consensus by breaking parliamentary protocols.

[17] Some GNP officials suggested reducing police actions against demonstrations and abstaining from drinking in public due to the unexpected protests.

[24] On January, 5th, 2012, the parliamentary-level Committee on Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting & Communications passed the Media Rep Bill (미디어렙법), intended to regulate direct dealings between networks and advertisers.

[26] Journalists on notable South Korean media outlets such as KBS, MBC and YTN engaged in strikes in early 2012, protesting government interference in news content.

[27] The International Federation of Journalists condemned changes in the management of major broadcast media in South Korea that it claimed were political interference.

[32] Under the Lee Myung-bak administration, police reportedly moved to restrict assemblies and demonstrations depending on their purposes as well as imposing fines on people who refuse on-the-street demands to present identification.

[45] On 9 September, the Buddhist community accepted President Lee's expression of regret over the perceived bias and personal pledge to ensure the government's neutrality.

[47] On 3 March 2011, Lee and the first lady attended a national-level Christian gathering in COEX Convention & Exhibition Center and kneeled during prayer time.

[53] Hwang Woo-yeo, floor leader of the GNP, urged President Lee to reform tuition policy even though whether the half-tuition proposal was an actual promise was disputed.

[59] The SPO lost consecutive cases concerning Han Myeong-sook for bribery charges when the Seoul High Court found her innocent.

[64] South Korean lawyer, Choe Kang-wook (최강욱) allegedly lost his law license due to his criticism of the government's potential eradication of free speech.

[65] A judge was under an in-house investigation for posting messages critical of President Lee and the government on Facebook over the sudden ratification of the Korea-USA Free Trade Agreement.

[73] Two former Senior Secretary of Public Relations of the Blue House, Kim Du-woo and Hong Sang-pyo, were alleged to have received briberies from Park Tae-kyu, the representative lobbyist of Busan Savings Bank.

[75] A DDoS attack against websites of Park Won-soon and the National Election Commission of South Korea generated criticism of the government.

[77] The Blue House officially denied that the presidential authorities had pressured the police and would sue other newspaper companies that repeated the allegation.

[80] The Korean Bar Association noted that 77% of citizens distrusted the judicial branch of the government, citing a survey result on Legal Consumers' Alliance.

[87] Kim Cheon-sik (김천식), the undersecretary of the Ministry of Unification gave a negative outlook on any potential reunion between South and North Korea families during the Lee Myung-bak government.

The administration stated that it sought peaceful reunification, but only after North Korea abandoned its nuclear ambitions and accepted a more open-minded approach.

Domestically, Lee's critics claimed that his strategy would antagonize the Kim Jong-il regime and undermine progress towards friendly North Korea-South Korea relations.

[citation needed] Lee was criticized for directing the public relations department of the Ministry of National Defense in December 2010 to make an anti-North Korean video.

Dr. Seo Jae-jeong of Johns Hopkins University claimed that Lee's unrealistic expectations in dealing with North Korea were due to his Christian faith.

[95] The Ministry of National Defense hired conservative military instructors who allegedly advocated political stances unfavorable to Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun to army reservists.

[97] Lee had expressed a strong statement that "nothing would change as long as Kim Jong-il remained in power" to Alexander Vershbow in 2006, according to WikiLeaks.

[citation needed] The North Korean National Defence Commission officially declared that it "will refuse forever to engage with traitor Lee Myung-Bak and his group" after the Death of Kim Jong-il.

[98] Initially regarded as Japan-friendly, the Lee Myung-bak government later raised the deeply emotional issue of comfort women with Japan in late 2011.