President to hold first-anniversary press conference at Cheong Wa Dae

Remarks to cover past year, four key national goals

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the 2026 New Year's press conference held at Cheong Wa Dae's banquet hall on Jan. 21. [Newsis]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the 2026 New Year's press conference held at Cheong Wa Dae's banquet hall on Jan. 21. [Newsis]

President Lee Jae Myung will hold a first-anniversary press conference at Cheong Wa Dae's banquet hall on Monday.

It will be his fourth such event, following press conferences at the 30-day and 100-day marks of his presidency and the 2026 New Year's briefing.

Cheong Wa Dae said Sunday the conference will carry the slogan "Irreplaceable Korea," explaining that it encapsulates a vision and determination "to leap from a country the world watches to a country the world cannot do without."

At the opening of the conference, Lee will deliver a commemorative address reflecting on the past year before laying out his national governance vision and four key goals for his second year in office.

The event's key visual theme is "Light, Path, and Korea." Cheong Wa Dae said "Light" represents the democracy the Korean people have safeguarded through countless crises, while "Path" conveys the president's resolve to forge new roads alongside the public when faced with national challenges — even where none exist. "'Korea,'" it added, "symbolizes a new future and ambition in which our nation's endeavors become the global standard and model."

About 160 domestic and foreign journalists are expected to attend. As with previous press conferences, reporters will ask questions freely based on cues from the moderator and the president, with no predetermined script.

Two university students with campus journalism backgrounds will also pose questions representing the concerns and challenges facing the younger generation. The questioners are Jeong Bo-hyeon, a fourth-year economics student at Ewha Womans University, and Seonwoo Yeong-hyeon, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Inha University. Cheong Wa Dae added that the two won the SisaIN College Journalist Award this year and the Korea Press Foundation College Journalism Award last year, respectively.


moone@heraldcorp.com