South Korea’s Lee pledges more live broadcasts and contact with the public

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on October 21 that he would increase live broadcasts of government affairs, contact with the press, field visits and social media engagement. He made the pledge after sharing an editorial urging him to meet reporters covering the presidential office more often. He gave no timetable for the changes.

Lee posted the editorial on social media and said he agreed with its call, according to SBS. Yonhap reported that he wrote on X that he would expand live broadcasts, press contact, on-site visits and social networking. The pledge covers several ways for the president to communicate with the public, including more opportunities for reporters to question him directly.

Lee’s recent contact with reporters

SBS reported that Lee had also made an unscheduled visit to reporters at Chunchugwan in the Blue House around his 500th day in office. The editorial he shared called for more frequent contact with reporters who cover his office, putting press access at the centre of that part of Wednesday’s pledge.

Separate X post addresses Cabinet meeting criticism

In another X post, Lee rejected opposition criticism over the attendance of the heads of the Prosecution Service and Serious Crime Investigation Agency as observers at Cabinet meetings, Yonhap reported. Citing an answer he received from Gemini, Lee argued that barring them would conflict with his authority to supervise administrative affairs under the law on government organization.

The dispute followed the first Cabinet meeting attended by Kim Ji-yong, the inaugural chief of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, on Tuesday, October 20. Kim had taken office earlier in the month. Opposition critics argued that the head of an investigative body attending meetings led by the president could undermine the agency’s independence, according to Yonhap.