President Lee Jae-myung said on the 30th that social media is his direct channel of communication with the public, reaffirming his intention to reach citizens through such platforms.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said it was social media that connected him with the public, conveyed the truth and kept him going when what he called all the entrenched interests in the press moved to isolate him, distort facts and attack him with falsehoods, and that it was also social media that brought him to his current position. "The harder things get, and the more severe the distorted attacks become, the more I must communicate directly with the people and lean on them," he said.
Lee also said he would draw closer to the public through press conferences, debates, site visits, Roosevelt-style fireside chats and live YouTube broadcasts. "Politics is ultimately done by the people," he said. "The harder things get, the more I must listen directly to the people's voices without any intermediary, report directly to them, appeal to them and communicate with them." He added that he would examine the public's wishes with a humbler posture and greater intensity, respect those wishes and carry out his duties in earnest, treasuring every minute and second solely for the country and its people.
He also made clear his view that dignified arguments are more persuasive. "Whatever anyone says, it is far better to make your case with dignity than to make people frown with slurs or harsh words, and that wins much more sympathy," he said. "Winning an argument is not winning, because in the end it is the people who judge."
Lee added, "For a better world, let us continue today to make small efforts with dignity, in the spirit of the old man who moved the mountain."
