Will Lee Apologize to the Nation?

Attention is focused on whether President Lee Jae-myung will directly apologize for recent controversies surrounding his government's state affairs at a press conference.

According to the Presidential Office on the 17th, President Lee will hold his seventh press conference since taking office on the morning of the 18th at the Yeongbin Hall of the Presidential Office.

Approximately 150 domestic and foreign journalists will attend, and the conference will run for about 90 minutes, divided into two fields: politics, diplomacy, and policies and economics.

The press conference will be held in a format where no specific topic is set and journalists freely ask questions on major issues, with the president directly answering.

Park Seong-ki, Presidential Spokesperson for Communications at the Presidential Office, said "The president will make clear his stance and direction on major state affairs to the people and provide explanations," adding "The president intends to communicate sincerely and faithfully on state affairs that the people are curious about and want to hear."

The timing of the press conference coincides with the president's approval ratings declining consecutively.

According to a survey by Realmeter commissioned by Energy Economy News from the 7th to 11th of this month targeting 2,515 people aged 18 and over nationwide, President Lee's approval rating for state affairs was 33.8%, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous week.

This marks the ninth consecutive week of decline and is the lowest since taking office based on the same survey criteria. The disapproval rating rose 3.8 percentage points from the previous week to 63.3%.

Realmeter analyzed the background of the decline as the spread of negative public opinion regarding controversies over personnel for cabinet reshuffle, review of troop deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty in real estate policy.

Accordingly, the press conference is expected to intensively address the president's stance on recent issues including cabinet reshuffle personnel, real estate, and Strait of Hormuz troop deployment.

What attracts particular attention is to what extent President Lee will acknowledge direct responsibility for recent state affairs.

Since taking office, President Lee has apologized or expressed regret regarding safety accidents, public evaluation of his leadership, and past state violence.

During the Daejeon factory fire in March, he stated that as the head of state, he "cannot help but feel apologetic" about accidents continuing in the workplace. After the June local elections, he said "I am sorry to the people" and "humbly accept the people's cold assessment."

In August, at an event where victims of state violence were invited to the Presidential Office, he bowed his head while saying "I offer deep consolation and apology to the victims of all state violence incidents that have occurred in this land since liberation."

However, the previous statements were characterized by responsibility for safety accidents, acknowledgment of public assessment, and state-level apologies for past state violence, which differed in character from explicitly acknowledging errors in specific policies or personnel decisions of the current government.

Accordingly, if direct apologies regarding concrete state affairs such as cabinet reshuffle personnel, real estate, and Strait of Hormuz troop deployment emerge at the press conference on the 18th, it could be a message demonstrating to what extent the president acknowledges responsibility for state governance.

Past presidents have also had precedents of directly acknowledging responsibility or apologizing through press conferences or addresses to the nation when political burden increased.

Former President Kim Dae-jung issued a televised public statement in June 2002 regarding his two sons' misconduct. Former President Kim mentioned his responsibility for not properly raising his children, apologizing that the matter stemmed from his "shortcomings and negligence."

Former President Roh Moo-hyun apologized in his 2007 New Year's address for rising housing prices and repeated trial-and-error in real estate measures, saying "Regarding real estate, I am sorry. I am truly sorry," apologizing for failing to address housing prices at once and causing confusion to the people.

Former President Lee Myung-bak held a special press conference in 2008 as candlelight protests spread over U.S. beef import negotiations, stating that he did not sufficiently examine what the people desired, saying "I am undertaking deeply painful self-reflection."

Former President Park Geun-hye made a national address regarding the Sewol ferry disaster at the Presidential Office's Chunchu Hall in May 2014, saying "The ultimate responsibility for failing to properly respond to this accident lies with me as president," apologizing for the suffering the people endured.

Former President Moon Jae-in directly apologized regarding ministerial nomination and real estate issues.

At the "Citizens Ask, 2019 Conversation with the People" in November 2019, he expressed regret regarding controversies surrounding the nomination of then-Justice Minister Cho Guk for causing conflict and division among the people, stating "I offer my apologies once again."

In his 2021 New Year's address, he expressed "deep regret" to citizens experiencing difficulties with housing issues, and in a press conference 18 days later, he stated "ultimately, we failed to stabilize real estate."

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol said at a press conference marking his second anniversary in May 2024 regarding allegations of First Lady Kim Keon-hee receiving a luxury handbag, "I apologize to the people for the concern caused by my wife's unwise conduct."

As such, press conferences or addresses where presidents directly express their position to the people have also served as occasions to demonstrate to what extent they acknowledge responsibility for state affairs.

What the Presidential Office has announced ahead of this press conference is not "apology" but "clear stance and direction." Attention is focused on whether President Lee will reaffirm his existing position on the controversies, express regret, or take more direct apologies.

A political figure said "A presidential press conference can end with mere explanation or can become an opportunity to acknowledge responsibility and shift the situation," adding "In a situation where approval ratings continue to fall, the language the president uses to explain responsibility to the people will be an important part of this press conference."

The survey was conducted using 100% wireless automatic response method. The margin of error is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate is 4.5%. For more details, visit the Central Election Survey Deliberation Committee website.