President holds 1st Cabinet meeting, emphasizes continuity of state affairs

President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps

President Lee Jae-myung convened his inaugural Cabinet meeting on Thursday, his second day in office, urging ministers to “put the people at the center and do your utmost.”

The president emphasized the importance of ensuring continuity in state affairs and establishing discipline among public officials in order to minimize the administrative vacuum caused by the impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol.

Chairing the meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District starting at 10 a.m., Lee reiterated the government's fundamental responsibility to serve the public, emphasizing this as a core tenet.

“We are all agents entrusted with our duties by the people,” he said.

The swift directive signals a push to refocus the government on public concerns as he takes office amid deep polarization and economic strain. Elected after Yoon’s ouster, Lee faces a fractured political landscape and public anxiety over debt, growth and global tensions. His call for action aims to set clear priorities and restore trust.

He urged ministers to uphold their constitutional duties and encouraged them to actively share their views.

“Each of your ministries is best positioned to understand the current situation. I’d like to hear your opinions and share mine as well,” he said, expressing his intention to conduct a comprehensive review of pressing issues across ministries.

President Lee Jae-myung presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Most of the Cabinet members were appointed by his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol. Joint Press Corps.

Most of the ministers and vice ministers participating in the meeting were those appointed during the Yoon administration, as Lee, who was elected in a by-election and started his presidency immediately without a transition period, did not have time to form his own Cabinet.

Although they all offered their resignations on Lee’s first day in office, he accepted only one — that of former Justice Minister Park Sung-jae — and asked the rest to stay on for continuity of state affairs.

Among the attendees were Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, who played the role of acting president before Lee took office, as well as Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul who have discussed tariff and foreign policy issues with the U.S.

Kang Hoon-sik, Lee's newly appointed chief of staff, and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac also attended the meeting. Lee completed his first electronic approval since taking office by digitally signing their appointments to government positions.

President Lee Jae-myung participates in a Cabinet meeting over lunch with gimbap at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of presidential office

The Cabinet meeting ran for almost four hours until nearly 2 p.m. Partway through the meeting, attendees had gimbap (seaweed rice rolls).

“President Lee receives briefings from Cabinet members on key and time-sensitive issues from across all ministries, particularly those requiring his immediate attention,” Kang told reporters after the meeting.

Most civil servants who had been dispatched to the presidential office under the Yoon administration returned to their original posts before the launch of the new administration, making transfer of presidential affairs virtually impossible. However, Lee issued a directive ordering them to return to the presidential office, Wednesday, and most of them have come back, according to Kang.

Later in the day, Lee presided over a national public safety meeting with local governments, asking them to thoroughly prepare to prevent any damage ahead of this year's monsoon season.

Lee also formed a national policy planning committee, which will serve the role of a transition committee responsible for government reorganization and defining key policy priorities for his administration. He appointed Lee Han-joo, head of the Institute for Democracy — the Democratic Party of Korea’s affiliated policy think tank — as the committee’s chairperson.

President Lee Jae-myung speaks during the national public safety meeting held in the National Security Council conference room at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Lee also withdrew the nominations of two Constitutional Court justices made by former acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo while Yoon was suspended from duty.

Han nominated Government Legislation Minister Lee Wan-kyu and Seoul High Court justice Ham Sang-hun for the posts in April to fill the vacancies left by two retiring justices.

The nomination drew controversy over an acting president's authority to nominate Constitutional Court justices. The court at the time approved an injunction to suspend the nomination process.