President Lee's First Speech Collection Published: "A Record of Promises Made with the People"

Speeches and social media messages from first year in office compiled in 386-page volume
Five national goals and governing philosophy brought together
Foreword by former Chief of Staff Kang Hoonsik

Speeches delivered by President Lee Jae-myung at major events in South Korea and abroad during his first year in office, along with messages he posted on social media, have been compiled into a book.

The Blue House said on October 25 that it had published Presidential Speeches of Lee Jae-myung, Volume 1, a collection of the president's major speeches and messages from his first year in office. The 386-page volume includes speeches at various events attended by President Lee and social media messages posted between June 2025 and May 2026. It also features photographs from key moments in his government activities since taking office.

The collection brings together the governing philosophy and major policy directions of the People's Sovereignty Government, pursued under the national vision of "A country where the people are sovereign and everyone prospers together." In particular, it offers a look at the principles of governance President Lee has emphasized—listening and unity, fairness and trust, and pragmatism and results—through the lens of the five national goals: "Politics that unites the people," "An innovative economy that leads the world," "Balanced growth in which everyone prospers," "A society with strong foundations," and "Diplomacy and security centered on the national interest." It also includes speeches delivered at major events in South Korea and abroad, including the Liberation Day address in August 2025, remarks at the G20 Summit in November, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Southern Inland Railway in February 2026, and the May ceremony commemorating the May 18 Democratization Movement.

The foreword was written by former presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik. He wrote, "If there is one thing I learned while serving the president at close quarters, it is that President Lee Jae-myung feels a profound sense of responsibility for every word he says." He added, "The president asks questions and checks the facts for a long time before saying even a single word. He checks the figures again, recalls what people on the ground have said, and repeatedly asks whether what we are trying to do will actually improve people's lives."

Kang also wrote, "The urgent concerns of each person he met—the worries of merchants at markets, the struggles of young people, and the difficulties faced by businesspeople—always stayed deeply in the president's heart for a long time." He continued, "The voices of people on the ground have always moved the president's thinking, helped shape policy, and ultimately returned to the people as the president's firm commitments."

Reflecting on the past year as he reread the collection, Kang said it had been a time of repeatedly making choices to restore disrupted daily life, rebuild the national system, prepare for new growth beyond the recovery of livelihoods and the economy, and protect the national interest amid a rapidly changing international order. He wrote, "(This collection is) a record of the president's words and, at the same time, a record of the promises we have made together," adding, "I hope that when we open this book again someday, we will find an 'irreplaceable Korea' where every promise made in the president's speeches has been fulfilled."

The collection will be distributed in print and online. Print copies are scheduled to be distributed to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; local governments; public institutions; and national, public, and university libraries. The e-book will be available free of charge on the Blue House, Policy Briefing, and K-Gonggam policy weekly websites, as well as on major online bookstores including Kyobo Book Centre, YES24, and Aladin.

The e-book also includes links that allow readers to view livestream footage of the president for each speech or message, as well as codes for audio conversion to support people with limited access to information, including older adults and people with disabilities.

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