President Lee’s livestreamed ministry briefings heighten tensions across government
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a government briefing session held at Government Complex Sejong Convention Center in Sejong, Friday. Yonhap
A series of annual policy briefings by government ministries to the president, beginning last Thursday and continuing this week, is heightening tension across the public sector as the proceedings are being livestreamed for the first time.
The briefings are a routine end- or beginning-of-year exercise in which government ministries and public institutions report on their performance over the past year and outline plans for the year ahead. Under the administration of President Lee Jae Myung, the sessions running through Friday will involve 228 public institutions, including 19 ministries, five agencies, 18 administrations and seven commissions. Participants include ministers, vice ministers, senior civil servants and officials from affiliated public bodies.
This year’s briefings have drawn particular attention because all sessions — excluding those related to national security — are being broadcast live for the first time, in line with the president’s stated commitment to greater transparency in state affairs. The unedited coverage has also captured instances in which Lee sharply reprimanded senior officials, further intensifying public scrutiny and political debate.
For example, during a briefing on Friday, Lee reprimanded Lee Hag-jae, president and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corp. “I asked whether it’s possible or not," the president said in the livestream. "Why do you keep dodging the question?”
The president also reproved Korea Customs Service Commissioner Lee Myeong-ku, arguing that “it makes no sense to claim that essential work cannot be carried out simply due to a lack of personnel.”
President Lee Jae Myung listens to a government briefing session held at Government Complex Sejong Convention Center in Sejong, Friday. Yonhap
Opposition parties reacted strongly, condemning the briefings as a display of political intimidation.
Main opposition People Power Party (PPP) described the sessions as “a stage for power projection and division” and “bordering on public humiliation.” The conservative party particularly pointed out that the president’s remarks toward Lee Hag-jae were targeted as he was an appointee from the previous administration, amounting to a deliberate public shaming of officials linked to the former government.
“The president’s rebuke of Lee Hag-jae was closer to public humiliation than a policy review,” Park Sung-hoon, senior PPP spokesperson, said Saturday. "Remarks such as ‘you talk too much’ raise serious questions about whether this reflects the dignity expected of a head of state.”
PPP Rep. Na Kyung-won echoed the criticism, saying, “The way the president cornered the head of a public corporation looked like a neighborhood bully intoxicated with power, nothing more, nothing less.”
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), however, pushed back, dismissing the opposition’s criticism. In a statement released on Saturday, Park Chang-jin, the DPK's senior deputy spokesperson, said, “By broadcasting the ministry briefings live, President Lee has declared a fundamental shift in how state affairs are conducted. This was a clear demonstration that governance should be scrutinized and evaluated openly by the public, not decided behind closed doors.”
Presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon speaks during a press briefing held at the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
Presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon told reporters on Sunday that the administration believes the benefits of the live broadcasts outweigh the risks.
“Live broadcasts will, of course, have some downsides. There is a possibility that minor issues could be exaggerated,” Kim said during Sunday's press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul. “However, the advantages are also clear: allowing the public to see, in real time, how the government operates and what direction the administration intends to take in running state affairs. For now, it is desirable to proceed with live broadcasts and address any shortcomings that arise.”
Kim also dismissed suggestions that the president had taken an especially aggressive or confrontational stance toward heads of public institutions appointed by the previous administration.
“There seems to be a perception that the president was being high-handed or combative because some officials came from the opposition,” the spokesperson said. “But that interpretation likely stems from the opposition viewing it that way. It would be better to see the exchanges as part of a normal question-and-answer process between government ministries and their affiliated agencies.”