President Lee Takes the Stage After Confirmation Hearings...Vying to Dominate Chuseok Dinner Table Politics

As the personnel confirmation hearing process, which was expected to continue until just before Chuseok, enters an early conclusion phase, President Lee Jae-myung is stepping in directly to address public sentiment regarding the Chuseok holiday dinner table.

According to the Blue House on the 15th, the President will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on the 18th at the Blue House Reception Hall. This is six days before the Chuseok holidays begin on the 24th.

This press conference draws attention as it will be held right after the ministerial confirmation hearings from the August 30 cabinet reshuffle are essentially concluded.

Initially, political circles predicted that the confirmation hearing process would continue until just before Chuseok. This was because the People Power Party demanded that the confirmation hearing for Yong Hye-in, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, be held on the 21st, one day before the March 22 deadline for holding personnel confirmation hearings.

However, nominee Yong voluntarily withdrew on the 13th, eliminating the "March 21 confirmation hearing."

The remaining ministerial confirmation hearings are concentrated over two days on the 15th and 16th. Following the confirmation hearings for Kim Seung-won (Justice Ministry), Lee Hyung-il (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance), and Lee So-young (Small and Medium Venture Businesses Ministry) on the 15th, confirmation hearings for Hong Ji-seon (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) and Kang Shin-chul (Ministry of National Defense) will be held on the 16th.

While the ruling and opposition parties are clashing over nominee Kim, looking at the scheduled timeline alone, the verification phase of the August 30 cabinet reshuffle will be concluded by the 16th.

And two days later, the President steps up to the microphone himself.

The ruling bloc has secured "time before Chuseok" through Yong's withdrawal, and it appears they are filling that time with the President's direct communication with the public.

The Blue House has also put livelihood and public sentiment front and center for this press conference.

Sung Gi-hong, the Blue House spokesperson for public communication, stated, "In response to the public sentiment that gave birth to our people-centered government, this will be an occasion to convey the President's unwavering commitment to reform, the state affairs principle of prioritizing livelihood, and a message of stronger national unity."

He continued, "We will clearly present the President's stance and direction on major issues and explain them to the people. Journalists will be free to ask questions about major issues without being confined to specific topics, and the President will directly answer them."

The press conference will be attended by approximately 150 domestic and foreign journalists and will be conducted for approximately 90 minutes, divided into two areas: politics and diplomacy, and policy and economy. The seating between the President and journalists will be arranged as closely as possible, and public comments will also be introduced.

Questions at the conference are expected to focus on livelihood and economic issues such as real estate and diplomatic and security issues such as the deployment to the Strait of Hormuz.

The nation's approval rating, which has recently been showing a downward trend, is also cited as a political backdrop for this press conference.

The government is also accelerating its response to Chuseok livelihood issues. The government announced measures to stabilize livelihood for Chuseok on the 1st, and from the 14th to the 22nd, related ministries jointly began field inspections of prices and unfair practices at traditional markets and tourist destinations.

Before Yong's withdrawal, the results of the March 21 confirmation hearing could have quickly appeared on the Chuseok dinner table, but with the confirmation hearing schedule essentially ending on the 16th, the President's press conference on the 18th has emerged as a major political event just before Chuseok.

If the opposition party attempts to drag the personnel controversy surrounding nominee Kim through Chuseok, the ruling bloc must have the President directly step forward to redirect public attention to other state affairs agendas such as livelihood, economy, and reform.

During the recent Democratic Party national convention, President Lee took direct action by releasing messages when internal party disputes heated up on YouTube and in political circles, seizing control of the political narrative. This time, he will sit down with journalists for 90 minutes, just six days before Chuseok.

The press conference on the 18th is expected to be a watershed moment that will determine whether the personnel controversy or the livelihood message will dominate public sentiment during Chuseok.

A political circle insider stated, "Chuseok is a time when family and relatives gather to discuss political and economic issues, forming what is called 'dinner table public sentiment.' The President is directly stepping up to explain major issues to shape public opinion," and added, "It remains to be seen whether President Lee, who seized the 'microphone' of internal party disputes during the national convention, can this time monopolize the 'side dishes' of the Chuseok dinner table."