Lee rejects calls to end public Cabinet meetings

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung rejected calls to stop making parts of Cabinet meetings public, writing on X on October 18 that officials were able to speak freely. He disputed assertions that a public format prevented ministers from expressing their views and said he found pressure to end public access difficult to understand. Lee also said that every Cabinet meeting, without exception, was followed by a closed session. [ 1 , 3 ]

Lee said participants included not only Cabinet members but agency heads, commission chairs and local government leaders, all of whom could say what they wanted. He said attendance had deliberately been expanded to broaden communication about government affairs and hear diverse opinions. He described himself as someone who welcomed discussion and respected opposing views, adding that organisations needed an effective red-team role to prevent problems and accidents. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that his post shared a video from the newspaper’s YouTube channel. [ 3 , 6 ]

The remarks followed media reporting about concerns raised at a dinner hosted by the prime minister. Hankook Ilbo said some ministers had reportedly sought reduced live coverage because vigorous discussion of issues involving sharply competing interests was difficult. Lee had also defended partial public access in an October 16 post, saying he opposed making meetings entirely closed. He said Cabinet minutes had already been public and that openness was the principle for administration, including government affairs. Seoul Economic Daily reported that he said attendance was being expanded through changes to implementing rules to encourage more substantive discussion. Hankook Ilbo also reported wider concerns about live meetings and his frequent social-media use amid repeated cases of hurried policy proposals being reversed. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]