President Lee: “I’ll keep engaging on social media even if criticized as undignified ... I think of Roh, who was mocked”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung made clear that he would not stop his direct engagement, saying in response to criticism from some quarters of his social-media political messaging, “They may criticize me as lacking dignity and authority, but I will continue communicating on social media and visiting people in person.”

On the night of the 10th, President Lee said on X (formerly Twitter), “I will continue visiting places where people live and work in back alleys with security kept to a minimum, communicating on social media, and connecting with them in their own language,” adding, “That is because the president is the people’s No. 1 public servant.”
Recalling his promise to stay close to the people when he first ran for president, Lee wrote, “If my goal is not to create a better world and enable more people to live happier lives, there is no reason to keep doing the difficult work of politics.”
He then recalled the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, who had engaged directly with the public. Lee added, “I think of President Roh Moo-hyun, who was criticized as undignified and mocked while communicating with the public through comments. I have also heard that he even refrained from visiting markets because he worried that security arrangements and advance visits would inconvenience the public.”


Lee stressed, “The resolve I expressed to the people when I first ran for president—‘Do not look toward those high places. Lee Jae-myung will always be right by your side’—has not changed for a single moment to this day.”
He said, “The moments I spend communicating with parents, siblings, and children in narrow back alleys who have little power or wealth and are marginalized, yet work harder than anyone, feeling their breath and renewing my sense of the heavy responsibility of governing, are precious beyond words to me—and time I cannot give up.” He also emphasized, “Politics and power should be directed toward the grassroots. Ordinary people who have little power and wealth are more precious than influential people of high standing, and they need more attention and support.”
Meanwhile, Lee has used social media to state his positions directly on major issues of state, including the recent controversy over the qualifications of the nominee for head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, prosecution reform, the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and other diplomatic issues, and real estate policy. He has also continued his on-the-ground outreach, including visits to traditional markets during regional trips.
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter