President Lee Jae-myung Recalls Former President Roh Moo-hyun, Mocked for Communicating with the Public
President Lee Jae-myung posted on X (formerly Twitter) on the night of the 10th, recalling former President Roh Moo-hyun, who faced criticism and ridicule while communicating through comments, and vowed to continue visiting back-alley sites and engaging with the public via social media. President Lee wrote, "Former President Roh Moo-hyun comes to mind, who was accused of being undignified and ridiculed while communicating with citizens through comments." He added, "It is also said that he refrained from even visiting markets, out of concern for the inconvenience to citizens, due to security and advance site inspections." He went on, "People may criticize me as lacking dignity or authority, but I will continue visiting the everyday lives of people in back alleys with minimal security, communicating through social media, and connecting with them in their own language."
He also shared his views on the direction of politics and power. President Lee said, "Politics and power must be directed toward those at the bottom," adding, "Powerless and disadvantaged ordinary people are more precious than powerful elites, and they need more attention and support." He also said, "Unless the goal is to build a better world and enable more people to live happier lives, there is no reason to endure the hardships of politics." He described the moments of communicating with back-alley neighbors and renewing his sense of responsibility for state affairs as "utterly precious and irreplaceable time."
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk criticized the president's social media outreach on Facebook on the 11th, calling it "left-leaning pandering to defend his approval ratings." Choe Bo-yoon, the party's chief spokesperson, claimed in a statement that the president's monthly post count, which stood at 30 to 40 after taking office, exceeded 100 in September. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized the president's social media use as targeting his own political camp. Cha Ho, spokesperson for the Reform Party, claimed that the president posted 18 messages over the three-day National Foundation Day holiday, including 11 in a single day on the 5th, while holding only seven formal press conferences during his first 16 months in office, and called for regular press conferences.
