Sung Ki-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communications, said in a briefing on Sept. 15 that "President Lee will hold a 90-minute press conference at 10 a.m. on Sept. 18 at the Yeongbingwan guest house of Cheong Wa Dae, focusing on two broad areas — politics and foreign affairs, and policy and the economy — as well as current issues." Sung added that the president "will communicate candidly and thoroughly on the state affairs the public is curious about and wants to hear about."
The press conference comes 102 days after the June 8 event marking his first year in office. Previous conferences were tied to specific occasions — 30 days, 100 days, the new year and the first anniversary of his inauguration — but this time there will be no special slogan, replaced instead by the backdrop phrase "I will look more closely at the people's will and the people's lives." Attention is on whether it will serve as a decisive move to reverse his sliding approval rating.
Putting the indictment-withdrawal and consecutive-term disputes to rest
There is no disagreement that substance matters more than format. Choi Chang-ryul, a professor at Yongin University, said, "Whether he avoids or clearly answers the questions the public finds suspicious and uncomfortable will determine the success or failure of the conference." Above all, he said, Lee must state a clear position that leaves no room for alternative interpretation on the disputes over withdrawing indictments and a constitutional amendment allowing consecutive terms, both of which directly involve the president himself.
In other words, approaches such as "the president's focus is on 'fabricated indictments' rather than 'withdrawing indictments'" — 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, not a legal explanation," adding that "this is a situation that needs to be settled cleanly." Rep. Yoon Kun-young of the Democratic Party made the same point a day earlier 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 that "President Lee should state that 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, he is in a position where he must answer directly if a substantial share of the public has doubts. Cheong Wa Dae is also said to be refining its messaging in recognition of that public sentiment.
Real estate policy shakes trust
His stance on real estate policy was also cited as a key factor determining the outcome of the conference. Political commentator Park Sang-byung said, "As a presidential candidate he publicly pledged not to use taxes to rein in housing prices, but the reality after he took office was different," adding that "real estate policy is one of the main reasons for the decline in trust in President Lee."
At this year's New Year press conference he said "taxation is a last resort," but frequent revisions and supplementary measures have fueled controversy over policy consistency. With housing prices and jeonse and monthly rent markets still unstable, observers say the key issue at this conference is how candidly he admits the limits of past policies, rather than restating existing measures. Park said, "Rather than boasting that he will definitely rein in prices, he needs to show that he properly understands the realities the public is facing."
An official on the Democratic Party's land and transport committee said, "President Lee experienced firsthand the various inconveniences of the land transaction permit system, lending restrictions and tenant relocation issues while selling his own home, so he needs to share that experience with the public," adding, "It is important that he show empathy, along the lines of 'having sold a home myself, I understand why people say it is hard.'"
Admitting and containing personnel missteps
Personnel matters are another issue that is hard to avoid. The Aug. 30 cabinet reshuffle, aimed at renewing state affairs, instead added to the administration's burden with the withdrawal of Yong Hye-in as nominee for gender equality and family minister and the controversy surrounding justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won. Internal conflict within the ruling bloc also spread over the nomination of Kim Ji-yong as the first head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.
Against that backdrop, some say it will not be enough to simply express regret. They argue Lee must acknowledge the absence of a system across the entire process — from recommendations and vetting to the final political judgment — and present measures to prevent a recurrence. Lee Jae-mook, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, stressed, "He should not just talk at the conference; afterward there must be clear evidence of actual personnel innovation and renewal, and changes in policy and direction," adding, "In the end, he needs to show accountability through action rather than words."
