President orders Culture Ministry to adopt 3 improvements in communications strategy

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday ordered a sweeping overhaul of how the government communicates its achievements, calling for a shift away from exhaustive, department-store-style listings toward more impactful and contemporary methods. He also said all ministries should move beyond economic results and concentrate their efforts on social-sector reforms, including advancing transparency and social justice.

Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced the contents of a closed-door discussion at the 45th Cabinet meeting, which Lee chaired, in a written briefing Tuesday.

During the closed session, Lee directed Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young to adopt three specific improvements to the government's communications approach.

"Please move away from the old ways of promoting government achievements and shift to influential, contemporary methods of communication," Lee said. "There are so many government accomplishments that we need to be selective and focused rather than listing them all like a department store." He went on to say that "promoting the administration's achievements is a crucial foundation for persuading the public and securing their support, so please improve our overall communications strategy."

Addressing the full Cabinet, Lee pressed for reforms in the social sector that citizens can feel directly. "We must not stop at economic achievements — we need to focus more on reform and improvement in the social sphere," he said. "We need to examine whether we have done enough to advance transparency in our society."

"We need to look back and ask whether the public's desire and aspiration for social justice have been sufficiently met," he added. "Since public trust in institutions is paramount, internal discipline must also be kept in order. Please take responsibility and give your best."

Lee also addressed National Fire Agency Chief Choi Yong-cheol, who attended the meeting remotely from Sejong, after a fire incident was reported to him through his chief of staff during the session. Lee ordered that "every effort be made to rescue victims, suppress the fire, and ensure the safety of firefighters."


sunpine@heraldcorp.com