President-PM Meeting Shifts to 'Tuesday Weekly Briefing'... Lim Gwanghyun's 'Efficiency' Drive Begins

The briefing shifted from Monday to Tuesday immediately after Lim Gwanghyun took office as Blue House chief of staff; it will now follow the Cabinet meeting.

The weekly briefing, at which the president and prime minister have regularly met every Monday to discuss state affairs, will now be held on Tuesdays. With the arrival of newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President Lim Gwanghyun opening the way for the "second phase of the Blue House," signs point to bold changes aimed at accelerating the administration of state affairs.

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sanggyun = President Lee Jae-myung enters a Cabinet meeting at the Blue House with Prime Minister Han Seongsuk and Chief of Staff Lim Kwanghyun on Oct. 20, 2026. xyz@yna.co.kr (End)

According to the Blue House and the Office for Government Policy Coordination on Oct. 25, President Lee Jae-myung and Prime Minister Han Seongsook have decided to change the day of their meeting to a "Tuesday weekly briefing," and the change has reportedly been in effect since last week. Until now, Prime Minister Han had visited the Blue House on two set days each week to attend the "Monday weekly briefing and Tuesday Cabinet meeting." Going forward, she will attend the Cabinet meeting every Tuesday and then proceed directly to the weekly briefing.

The weekly briefing between the president and prime minister is not an official meeting mandated by law. However, successive administrations, both progressive and conservative, have carried on the practice as a longstanding tradition in which the first and second-in-command meet to discuss various issues. The meetings include confidential discussions, such as personnel matters that are difficult to address in public. As a result, attendance is limited to a very small group. The president, the chief of staff and the chief of the State Affairs Office typically attend from the Blue House, while the prime minister and the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination attend from the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

One notable effect of moving the weekly briefing to Tuesday is that the prime minister, who is responsible for the Cabinet, will have more room in her schedule. Mondays had effectively been fixed for the president's weekly briefing for both the prime minister and the minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, but their schedules will now be more flexible.

Second, the number of meetings between the president and the prime minister is also expected to increase. For example, Kim Min-seok, the first prime minister after the Lee Jae-myung administration took office and now leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, held a total of 23 weekly briefings with the president during his roughly one-year tenure. Given that there are 52 weeks in a year, the briefings took place about half the time, partly because they were skipped when the president had external engagements. By contrast, holding the weekly briefing immediately after the Cabinet meeting every Tuesday is less likely to be affected by scheduling conflicts, so the number of meetings is expected to increase naturally.

Lim Gwanghyeon, the newly appointed chief of staff to the president. Yonhap News

Finally, some analysts say the change reflects the characteristics of the newly appointed chief of staff, Lim, who comes from the administrative bureaucracy. A change in the presidential chief of staff typically marks a new chapter in a five-year administration. Having taken over from the "first phase of the Kang Hoon-sik system," which laid the groundwork for governing and set its objectives, the administration has entered a period in which it must deliver administrative results. Lim is credited with boldly cutting into even the president's schedule, long shaped by convention, to make it more efficient. "The new chief of staff comes from the administrative bureaucracy and understands civil servants extremely well," a Blue House official said, describing the mood inside the administration. "There is no doubt that he will drive the public sector to work in a more competitive environment. Blue House staff are also on edge." Close coordination with Blue House Senior Secretary for Personnel Jo Seong-ju and Senior Secretary for Economic Growth Moon Shin-hak, both of whom entered the civil service in the 38th Higher Civil Service Examination class alongside Lim, is also anticipated.

However, it remains to be seen whether Lim, who comes from the bureaucracy, can distinguish himself as a key aide in political affairs as well as in administration. "Administrative expertise alone cannot resolve every challenge in governing the country," a ruling-party official said. "Improving the quality of policies also requires the ability to coordinate with political circles and stakeholders in the National Assembly. The key will be how well he combines his administrative experience with political judgment."

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