Lee: "Claims that public Cabinet meetings silence ministers are false"... Deep regret

Directly rebuts reports that ministers proposed limiting live broadcasts
"Only one minister said it was difficult"
"No Cabinet member is unable to say what needs to be said to the president"
"I cannot agree with making all meetings private"

President Lee Jae-myung expressed strong regret over what he called “false claims” that livestreaming Cabinet meetings prevents ministers from freely voicing their opinions. He also rejected as untrue reports that some ministers had urged him to narrow the scope of public access to Cabinet meetings. In effect, he made clear that he intends to uphold the principle of open Cabinet meetings in the name of transparency in government and the public’s right to know.

Yonhap News Agency

On the morning of October 16, President Lee posted a message on his social media account titled “On the Controversy Over Open Cabinet Meetings,” saying, “I express deep regret over the false claim that making Cabinet meetings public is silencing Cabinet members.”

The controversy began with media reports on October 15 that some ministers had asked the president to reduce the scope of Cabinet meeting livestreams. According to the reports, at a dinner for ministers hosted by Prime Minister Han Seongsuk on October 2, around 10 ministers in attendance voiced their difficulties in presenting opposing views to the president. They also reportedly said that the president should refrain from posting messages on social media so frequently.

In response, President Lee said, “According to the reports, apart from one minister saying at the dinner hosted by the prime minister that ‘it is difficult because Cabinet meetings are public,’ reports that they had urged that meetings not be made public, or that mentioned social media and other such matters, appear to be untrue.”

President Lee stressed in particular that he found it difficult to agree with the claim that making Cabinet meetings public restricts what ministers can say. Since Cabinet meetings are held in both open and closed sessions, he said, matters that are difficult to discuss publicly can be addressed fully in closed sessions.

“During discussions in open meetings, Cabinet members may feel uncomfortable when the president asks questions to fact-check,” President Lee said. “But it is only natural for the minister in charge to know their own work inside out.”

He added that he had repeatedly urged ministers, “No one can know everything. If there is something you don’t know, just say so, as I do,” and, “Please don’t make false reports or pretend to know something when you don’t, as that gets in the way of discussion and sound judgment.”

He also stressed that there were ample channels for Cabinet members to communicate with the president and freely raise counterarguments. President Lee said he encouraged them to call or message him individually if there was something they found difficult to say even in a closed meeting, and that they could also share their views over lunch or in individual meetings.

President Lee said, “I am confident that, at least in this administration, there is no Cabinet member who cannot say to the president what needs to be said.” He added, “The claim that they cannot speak because meetings are public makes no logical sense when closed sessions are also held.” He criticized the claim, saying, “It seems to be the wish of those who want to prevent meetings from being made public.”

President Lee also framed public access to Cabinet meetings as an issue of direct communication between the public and elected officials. “Just as middlemen may find direct transactions between producers and consumers inconvenient, many people may find direct communication between the public and elected officials uncomfortable,” he said. “I fully understand that. But I find it difficult to agree with preventing direct transactions just to guarantee distribution margins.” He likened the negative views held by some about open Cabinet meetings to an attitude of discomfort with direct communication between the public and the president. President Lee also emphasized that he was increasing the number of meeting participants, even revising an enforcement decree, to hear more opinions and counterarguments.

He also called on Cabinet members to speak responsibly and engage actively in policy discussions. “A good friend is one who offers tough criticism,” President Lee said. “If you think your friend is going down the wrong path but say nothing, you are doing it for yourself, not for your friend.” He added, “If a public official entrusted by the people with a duty believes another public official has a problem that needs to be corrected but does not point it out, that is either an evasion of responsibility rooted in self-interest or a betrayal of the public’s trust.”

President Lee concluded his post by saying, “I cannot agree with the calls by some to make all Cabinet meetings closed when we are opening part of them to the people, who are sovereign.” He then asked, “What do you think?”

Earlier, on October 15, the Office for Government Policy Coordination also said in a press statement that claims that Cabinet members cannot oppose the president because meetings are livestreamed were untrue. It said Cabinet members freely express their opinions and that the president actively accepts them.

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