President Lee Jae Myung’s instinct for humor shapes his leadership style

President Lee Jae Myung speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba by phone at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, June 9. Yonhap

After flying straight from the Group of Seven leaders’ summit in Canada, President Lee Jae Myung stepped onto Korean soil in the predawn hours of June 19 and greeted Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik with a wink and a quip.

“You enjoyed the days without me, didn’t you?” Lee said, joking that aides had savored a “boss-free holiday” while he was away.

The ice-breaker drew laughter from staff who had been bracing for a solemn arrival.

The president’s light touch has been on display throughout his first month in office. At his inaugural Cabinet meeting on June 5, which still included several ministers appointed by his conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee looked around the room and said, “It feels a bit awkward. Let’s smile while we work,” according to participants.

Since then, officials say, once stiff weekly sessions have grown noticeably less tense, with Lee’s one-liners regularly sending a ripple of laughter around the table.

Lee favors self-deprecating humor rather than barbs aimed at others. One telling example came three years ago, shortly after he lost the presidential election. At the time, he had won a by-election and attended a Democratic Party of Korea retreat as a first-term lawmaker.

During a group discussion, several lawmakers cautiously asked whether he planned to run for party leader, a question laced with the implication that a defeated presidential candidate might be overreaching.

Lee replied with a laugh, “I’m just an acorn in a dog’s food bowl,” prompting laughter in the room. At a time when pro-Moon Jae-in lawmakers dominated the party, Lee’s remark was a subtle way of saying, “If I don’t keep pushing forward, I’ll be sidelined.”

Political observers say the president’s comic timing contrasts sharply with the stern public demeanor of his predecessors. Yoon, for instance, often delivered fiery declarations about “eradicating corruption,” and his term ended amid controversy over his short-lived martial law declaration.

Former presidents Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye were also known for their lack of humor, often giving off an impression of rigidity. In contrast, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously kept his wit sharp even during the trials of World War II.

Humor, some say, is a matter of attitude, a mix of humility that allows one to be the punchline and a sense of care for others’ morale.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, once said, “If I had no humor, I should long ago have died under this crushing weight.”

Whether Lee’s easygoing persona will translate into effective governance remains to be seen. For now, officials say the president’s jokes are doing what he intends: easing nerves inside the presidential office and signaling that, even at the apex of power, there is room for a smile.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.