President Lee Jae Myung Returns from France Visit; Public Communication, Including Press Conference Before Chuseok, Under Review

[Financial News] As President Lee Jae Myung returned on the 10th after a five-day, three-night state visit to France, political attention has once again turned to pending issues. With major matters requiring the president’s judgment and messages to the public piling up—including controversies over the nominations of Kim Seung-won for justice minister and Yong Hye-in for minister of gender equality and family, real-estate policy, the debate over constitutional amendments concerning re-election, deployment to the Strait of Hormuz and investment in the United States—Cheong Wa Dae is reportedly considering having Lee communicate directly with the public, possibly through a press conference, as early as before the Chuseok holiday.
Seong Gi-hong, senior secretary for public relations and communication at Cheong Wa Dae, appeared on MBC radio that day and addressed President Lee’s remarks at a meeting with Korean residents in France on the 9th local time: "My term is clearly limited under the Constitution." Seong said, "I interpret him as saying that re-election, as people commonly discuss it, is entirely impossible and is not an issue that can even be considered."
Regarding the opposition’s demand that the president declare that re-election is impossible, Seong explained, "The president is listening closely to what the opposition is saying, as well as to much of what the media is reporting." He added, "There may be an opportunity for him to speak at another public meeting with citizens, rather than at a meeting with overseas Koreans." Seong also said, "In that sense, there will be various forms of communication between the president and the public. However, if an internal decision is made on the specific format and timing, there will be an opportunity to announce it then."
A series of issues requiring President Lee’s direct judgment is also awaiting him. The deployment to the Strait of Hormuz is a prominent example. Regarding the issue, Seong said, "There are various options for making a responsible contribution to the normalization of the Strait of Hormuz, but no specific method has been finally decided yet."
The previous day, Seong also appeared on the YouTube channel Maebulshow and stressed, "While the government’s final policy has not been decided, discussions from individual departments at the working level have been leaking out, causing the debate to develop through reports that have gotten far ahead of the facts." He added, "The president bears final responsibility for decision-making, and everything will be discussed at the National Security Council (NSC)." He explained, "Various opinions from each level will be brought together and unified into a single position, but fragmented discussions have leaked out before that position has reached the president."
Hong Ik-pyo, senior secretary for political affairs at Cheong Wa Dae, also appeared that day on Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory on YouTube. Regarding the deployment discussions, he said that since President Lee was carrying out his state-visit schedule in France, "After he returns from the trip, the situation will require further discussion." Accordingly, discussions are expected to intensify following Lee’s return, with the NSC at the center, over the specific form and scope of contributions to the Strait of Hormuz.
Investment in the United States is another key issue requiring President Lee’s decision. The government will provide a closed-door briefing on U.S. investment to the National Assembly’s Industry, Trade, SMEs and Startups Committee and the Finance and Economy Planning Committee on the 17th. It is also reportedly pursuing plans to announce a U.S. investment project and sign a memorandum of understanding on the 18th. Attention is focused on the outcome of last-minute South Korea-U.S. coordination over the investment targets, scale and structure. The construction of the approximately $22 billion Encinal gas combined-cycle power plant is being cited as the leading candidate for the first project.
With domestic issues—including controversies over ministerial nominees and real-estate policy—also added to the mix, President Lee faces no shortage of tasks to address immediately after returning from his trip. The consideration of public-communication measures, including a press conference before the Chuseok holiday, is understood to reflect the growing need for the president to explain his position on these issues directly and present the direction of his administration.


[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Seong Seok-woo Reporter