Lee: “With so many government achievements ... PR should also be selective and focused”

[Financial News] On the 20th, President Lee Jae-myung called for government achievements to be promoted selectively and with focus, rather than listed in a department-store-style catalogue. He instructed officials to move away from the existing approach and improve government communications so they could reach the public more effectively.
Kang Yoo-jung, the Blue House senior spokesperson, said in a written briefing that day that President Lee had called on Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Hwi-young to make three improvements to the government’s publicity approach during the closed session of the 45th Cabinet meeting.
President Lee first asked officials to “move the promotion of government achievements away from the old approach and toward more influential, contemporary methods of communication.” He then stressed, “There are so many government achievements that we need to focus on selected priorities instead of listing them all in a department-store-style catalogue.”
He also said that “promoting the government’s achievements is a very important foundation for persuading the public and securing its support,” and called for improvements across government communications.
He stressed to Cabinet members that they should not stop at economic achievements but focus more on reform and improvement in the social sphere. He said it was necessary to consider whether transparency in society had improved sufficiently and whether the public’s desire and aspirations for social justice had been adequately met. Since trust in institutions is paramount, he also urged them to maintain internal discipline.
Meanwhile, Blue House Senior Secretary for Public Communication Seong Gi-hong appeared on SBS that day and, referring to reports of an order for all ministries to establish a two-way briefing system, said, “Each ministry will be able to work autonomously to build a system suited to its own circumstances.”
Asked whether the Blue House had issued an order, he explained that the ministries were proceeding in line with the government’s philosophy of transparency, accountability and openness because the Blue House had basically led by example.
In response to concerns that livestreaming even journalists as they asked questions could expose them to online pile-ons by the president’s supporters, he said, “Those concerns were, in fact, unfounded,” adding, “I think things have now settled in after a process of adjustment.”
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter