President Lee Answers Questions Standing for 100 Minutes at Delayed Press Conference

President Lee Holds Seventh Press Conference Since Taking Office
Wears Navy Tie with White Stripes
Distance Between President and Reporters Reduced by 1 Meter
"In Order to Listen More Humbly to the Voice of the People"

On September 18, President Lee Jae-myung appeared at the Blue House for his seventh press conference since taking office, wearing a navy tie with white stripes. With a gentle smile, President Lee ascended to the center podium and offered a brief bow. There were a total of 152 domestic and foreign reporters in attendance. The seating arrangement for the press placed the front row on the floor and the back row on steps, creating a structure that surrounded President Lee.

President Lee Jae-myung is answering questions from reporters at a press conference held at the Blue House State Guest House on the 18th. September 18, 2026. Yonhap News Agency.

The press conference lasted for 100 minutes, exceeding the initially scheduled 90 minutes. President Lee stood throughout the event, responding to questions without taking a seat. The Blue House explained, "The President conducted the press conference standing in order to listen more humbly to the voice of the people and to deliver his position on current affairs with greater sincerity," adding, "the decision to decrease the distance between the President and the press corps by about one meter was made for the same reason."

The press conference was originally scheduled to start at 10:00 a.m., but it was suddenly delayed by 30 minutes that morning. It was reported that the President postponed the start time to carefully read and personally revise the prepared statement. A Blue House official stated, "The President feels a tremendous sense of responsibility regarding the press conference," and added, "he went through a final process of organizing his thoughts."

This marked President Lee’s seventh press conference since taking office, held without a specific agenda. The previous six press conferences were organized either in response to significant milestones such as 30 days, 100 days, and one year into the presidency, or at special moments, like the New Year, the first anniversary of the 12·3 incident, or following a European tour to share achievements. The Blue House did not provide descriptions for the main visual displays in the venue, nor did it show the usual national policy promotion video prior to the event.

The format was also somewhat different. Previously, President Lee accepted questions in the order of livelihood and economy, politics and diplomacy, and then society and other matters. This time, the sequence was changed to first address politics and diplomacy, then policy and economy, and the range of topics was streamlined. This adjustment appeared to reflect the pressing nature of pending issues such as appointments, reappointment, and overseas troop deployment. The method of selecting questions used in early press conferences—such as drawing lots—was discontinued, and Kang Yoo-jung, the Blue House chief spokesperson, selected the questioners.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.