President Lee orders new PR approach, pledges more SNS, live broadcasts, press contact

President Lee Jae-myung on 20 October asked Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choe Hwi-yeong (최휘영) to improve how government achievements are promoted. Chief spokesperson Kang Yu-jung (강유정) relayed this in a written briefing on the closed-door Cabinet meeting, which Lee chaired and which Kyunghyang Shinmun and Asia Economy called the 45th. Kang said Lee gave three improvements. First, he asked for a switch from the old approach to influential, contemporary communication. Second, he said government achievements are too many to list 'like a department store' and need selection and focus. Third, he said PR of achievements is an important foothold for persuading the public and gaining support, and asked for overall improvement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]

Dong-A Ilbo also quoted Kang as saying Lee told Cabinet members not to stop at economic results but to focus on social reform, check whether transparency has improved enough, and keep internal discipline because trust in institutions comes first. [ 1 ]

Outlets read the order differently. Dong-A Ilbo said analysts saw it as a demand for active SNS use by ministries and the Cabinet. Yonhap and SBS said it appeared to ask ministries to use real-time communication such as SNS and live broadcasts of Cabinet meetings. Kyunghyang Shinmun said it appeared to push Cheong Wa Dae's plan to extend interactive briefings, in which reporters' faces are shown, to all ministries. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]

Seong Gi-hong (성기홍), Cheong Wa Dae's communications secretary, appeared on SBS's 'Ju Yeong-jin's News Briefing' (주영진의 뉴스브리핑) that day. Asked whether Cheong Wa Dae had ordered interactive briefings at all ministries, he said Cheong Wa Dae had set an example and ministries would act in line with transparency, accountability and openness. Asia Economy quoted him saying each ministry could build its own system. Kyunghyang Shinmun said the system began at Cheong Wa Dae in June last year, with four extra cameras showing reporters who ask questions. Seong rejected concern about reporters being singled out, saying none would be intimidated; Asia Economy quoted him calling the worry about attacks by the president's supporters unfounded. He also said posting on SNS at 1 or 2 a.m. should not be the issue and that Lee's posts reflect discussions with aides. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

The order followed Lee's 19 October meeting with reporters at the Chunchugwan press room, where he said SNS was like a lifeline ('목숨줄') and 'If there had been no SNS, would there have been a President Lee Jae-myung.' He rejected criticism that some posts lower presidential authority, saying kings of old went in disguise to back-alley taverns to hear what people said. Hankook Ilbo said he also kept live broadcasts of Cabinet meetings despite suggestions from some Cabinet members and politicians to scale them back. On 20 October he shared a list of leaders' SNS use, writing that he had not known it was this extensive and must communicate directly more. [ 1 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 ]

On 21 October Lee shared on X an editorial saying he should meet press reporters more often, writing that it was a good point he fully agreed with and that 'the people and the field are like water to fish.' He wrote that he would increase live broadcasts of state affairs, press contact, field visits and SNS. Dong-A Ilbo said the editorial was its own and credited SNS and live broadcasts with opening his thinking to the public, but said SNS may over-reflect ruling-camp supporters and that ministers may find it hard to object freely when Cabinet meetings are broadcast. Maeil Business quoted Kim Jong-in (김종인), former People Power Party emergency committee chair, saying the judgment that SNS enables good communication was wrong. [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]