Senior Secretary Sung Starts X Activity, Bolstering President Lee's Social Media Outreach
Sung Ki-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication at the presidential office, posted her first message on X (formerly Twitter) on the 11th, titled "The President's Communication." "The era when someone else delivered, interpreted, and packaged the president's thoughts on his behalf is over," she wrote, throwing her weight behind President Lee Jae-myung's direct communication via social media.
"What the president envisions is not mere 'SNS politics' but a dialogue that narrows the distance between the president and the people, and communication that lowers the wall between state affairs and the public," Sung said, adding, "Citizens have the right to know the president's thoughts directly, without going through anyone's interpretation or editing." She went on to emphasize, "The era of the president standing behind the curtain of authoritarianism or mystique, with his thoughts delivered, interpreted, and packaged by others, is over."
President Lee has stepped up his communication on X since his trip to the United States and Mexico last month. On the 5th alone, he posted 11 messages, stating his position on key issues such as real estate and prosecutorial reform. Sharing a post from a user critical of his real estate policies, he replied, "I will keep my promise to escape the 'real estate speculation republic.'" He also personally reassured farmers anxious about a comprehensive farmland survey, saying that those who legitimately own farmland will face no disadvantages.
Sung cited an episode from the Mexico trip as a motivation for expanding direct communication. She said Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's daily 7:30 a.m. press conference at the presidential palace, where she explains state affairs in a "morning briefing with the people," was worth emulating. According to Sung, President Lee said on the flight back to Seoul after his Mexico visit, "I reflected on myself. From now on, I need to work harder to communicate with the people."
