President Lee Jae-myung will hold his seventh press conference since taking office on Sept. 18. With his approval ratings showing little sign of recovery, the aim is for the president to communicate directly with the public and explain his positions on pressing state affairs. But some worry the event could be judged worse than useless if it turns into another session of point-by-point rebuttals and lengthy explanations, a style Lee is known for. Even within the ruling party, voices are calling on him to deliver unambiguous messages on issues such as the withdrawal of indictments and a consecutive presidential term, while lowering his posture on matters like housing and the cabinet reshuffle by acknowledging shortcomings.
Sung Ki-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, said in a briefing on the 15th that "President Lee will hold a 90-minute press conference at 10 a.m. on the 18th at the Yeongbingwan guest house of the Blue House, focusing on two broad areas — politics and diplomacy, and policy and the economy — along with current issues." Sung said the president "will communicate candidly and thoroughly about the state affairs the public is curious about and wants to hear."
There is no disagreement that substance matters more than format. Choi Chang-ryul, a professor at Yongin University, said, "Whether he faces the issues the public doubts and feels uneasy about and answers them clearly will determine the success or failure of the conference." Above all, Choi said, Lee must state his position clearly enough to leave no room for alternative interpretations on the withdrawal of indictments and the constitutional amendment on consecutive terms, both of which concern the president directly.
That means approaches such as "the president's focus is less on the withdrawal of indictments than on fabricated prosecutions," as Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, put it, or legalistic explanations such as "my term is clearly limited under the constitution," will not work. A two-term ruling party lawmaker said, "What the public wants to hear is the president's own clear intent rather than a legal explanation," adding that it is "a situation that needs to be settled cleanly." Rep. Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party made the same point the previous day when he stressed the matter should be "settled so cleanly that people say he went too far."
In a National Barometer Survey conducted Aug. 24-26, 63% of respondents agreed with the statement that Lee should declare he will not run in the next presidential election if the constitution is amended. Even if the president views the issue as a political attack, the numbers suggest he must answer directly when a substantial share of the public harbors doubts. The Blue House is also said to be refining its messaging in recognition of that sentiment.
His stance on housing policy was also cited as a core issue that will determine the outcome of the conference. Park Sang-byung, a political commentator, said, "As a presidential candidate he publicly pledged not to curb home prices through taxes, but the reality after he took office was different," adding that "housing policy is one of the main reasons for the decline in trust in President Lee."
At his New Year press conference this year, Lee said taxation was "a last resort," but frequent revisions and adjustments have fueled disputes over the consistency of his policy. With home prices and jeonse (a lump-sum deposit lease) and monthly rents remaining unstable, observers say the key at this conference will be how candidly he admits the limits of past policy rather than restating existing measures. Park advised that "rather than boasting that he will definitely rein in home prices, he needs to show that he properly understands the reality the public is living through."
An official on the Democratic Party's land and transport committee said, "President Lee experienced firsthand a range of inconveniences in selling his own home — the land transaction permit system, lending restrictions, and the problem of relocating a tenant — so he needs to share that experience with the public." The official added that "it is important that he show empathy, along the lines of saying that having sold a home himself, he understands why people say it is hard."
Personnel matters are another issue he can hardly avoid. The Aug. 30 cabinet reshuffle, aimed at renewing his administration, instead added to the burden on his government amid the withdrawal of Yong Hye-in as nominee for gender equality and family minister and controversy surrounding Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister. Internal conflict within the ruling bloc also spread over the selection of Kim Ji-yong as the first nominee to head the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
Against that backdrop, some argue it will not be enough merely to express regret. They say the president should acknowledge the absence of a system across the entire process — from recommending and vetting candidates to making the final political judgment — and present measures to prevent a recurrence. Lee Jae-mook, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, stressed that "he should not merely talk at the conference; real personnel innovation and renewal, and changes in policy and direction, must clearly follow." He added that "in the end, he needs to take responsibility through action rather than words."
