[Why&Next] Why Is President Lee Investing So Much in "Direct, Unconventional Communication"?

Lee: "Would I have become president without social media?"
Born of experience surviving politically
Policy ideas from public sentiment beyond reports
Using it to drive the government agenda
Unconventional communication expands from X to Y... L

"If I hadn't communicated directly with the people, I probably wouldn't be in this position today."

This is the starting point of President Lee Jaemyung's philosophy of communication, which he shared on "The President's Y," a YouTube program produced by Cheong Wa Dae that premiered on November 5. For President Lee, direct communication with the people is more than a tool for promoting government policies. It is a survival strategy that has helped him overcome political crises, an information network for gauging public sentiment, and a way of governing that builds trust in the administration by making the policy-making process transparent. This is why he has expanded his communication through YouTube since becoming president rather than scaling back his activity on social media.

Lessons in political survival... "SNS is a lifeline"

President Lee Jaemyung answers a question from anchor Son Jeongeun during an appearance on “The President’s Y,” a YouTube program produced by the Blue House, at Sangchunjae on the 4th. The first video was released at 9 p.m. on the 5th. (Photo: Screenshot from KTV’s YouTube channel)

President Lee's strong commitment to direct communication is rooted in his political experience. When he met with reporters at Cheong Wa Dae's Chunchugwan press center on October 19, he asked, "Would there have been a President Lee Jaemyung without SNS?" He went on to say that it would have been difficult to survive without a channel to appeal directly to the public and hear their views amid intense attacks from the media and political circles, effectively likening SNS to a "lifeline."

The same view was evident in the November 5 broadcast. President Lee acknowledged the media's role in delivering information but said, "That's not enough." He also urges politicians to increase their direct contact with the public. His view is that they should be directly connected to the people, who are sovereign, rather than relying solely on indirect communication through traditional media or political organizations.

This view also informs his thinking about presidential authority. At a press conference last month, President Lee described the president as "the star player among public servants" representing the people. His point was that speaking openly and informally with the public does not undermine the dignity of the presidency.

Public sentiment beyond the reports... A source of governing momentum and insight

President Lee Jae Myung answers questions from anchor Son Jungeun on “The President’s Y,” a YouTube program produced by Cheong Wa Dae, at Sangchunjae on the 4th. The first video was released at 9 p.m. on the 5th. (Photo: Screenshot from KTV’s YouTube channel)

Direct communication is also a practical tool for running the government. In the November 5 broadcast, President Lee said that the president receives extensive daily reports on situations, developments, and policies, but that "there's a lot that's not in them." He explained that he gets ideas and discovers important issues on SNS, and sometimes learns about situations much faster than he would from official reports.

This is also why he reads critical posts and comments himself. President Lee said, "There are people on SNS, too," adding that asking why the president uses SNS is like asking why he goes out into the field to meet people. His remark that he "sees insults and criticism" reflected his view that friendly opinions from those around people in power are not enough to fully understand public sentiment.

He does not see controversy over policies as a reason to stop communicating, either. President Lee said, "People naturally have to debate policies because they hold different positions," emphasizing that the more reasonable debate and discussion there is, the better. At a press conference last month, he also reflected on whether there had been enough efforts to persuade stakeholders and build understanding during the reform process. In this sense, he views direct communication as a process of persuasion that can increase public acceptance of policies.

Building trust through government transparency... From the unconventional "X" to "Y"

President Lee Jaemyung speaks at a senior secretaries and aides meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on the 5th. 2026.11.5 Yonhap News.

Live-streaming Cabinet meetings is an example of this communication philosophy extending into the institutional sphere. In the broadcast, President Lee emphasized that "the president's official work belongs to the people" and that the public should be shown the policy-making process and the issues under discussion. In particular, he asked, "Would martial law have been possible if Cabinet meetings had been made public?" This showed his view that transparency itself can serve as a check on the abuse of power.

He acknowledged, of course, that transparency can have drawbacks. Referring to an instance when he made an error while explaining statistics during a live broadcast, President Lee said mistakes could be corrected. However, he maintained that this was no reason to stop making the process public. He also described the special inspector system as a measure to prevent misconduct among those close to power and build trust.

The newly launched "The President's Y" is an attempt to change the very format of direct communication. The program combines the first letter of YouTube with "Why," which refers to the reasoning behind policy decisions, and features the president answering questions from the public himself. In the first episode, he outlined plans to increase the number of monitoring personnel and strengthen the system in response to concerns about repeat offenses by violent criminals wearing electronic ankle monitors. President Lee also acknowledged the limitations of text-based "X (formerly Twitter)," saying it cannot convey emotions or facial expressions and can therefore come across as aggressive. He said he was considering not only live broadcasts on YouTube but also unscheduled broadcasts from the presidential office.

A senior ruling-party official said, "President Lee's direct communication is evolving from a means of political survival into a pillar of government administration," adding, "Since the president's remarks themselves serve as policy signals, accuracy and a willingness to hear opposing views are just as important as the frequency of communication." The official added, "How much the public sentiment he hears directly is reflected in policy and leads to tangible change is a challenge President Lee must take full responsibility for."

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