Politics President Lee Not Trapped in Algorithm...State Affairs Belong to the People, Servants Shouldn't Put Up Barriers

President Lee Jae-myung appeared on the first broadcast of the Presidential Office's in-house produced YouTube program 《President's Y》 and directly addressed controversies over being "trapped in the SNS algorithm" raised in some quarters.

Comparing his method of direct communication with the people without going through legacy media to a "lifeline," he made clear his intention to maintain the digital direct communication approach.

According to a Presidential Office briefing, President Lee has, since taking office, expanded points of contact with establishment media by holding approximately 20 press conferences and meetings, yet has repeatedly emphasized the necessity of communicating directly with the public through new media platforms.

The program title "President's Y" carries a dual meaning—the first letter of YouTube and "Why," denoting the reason for state governance.

"Servants Shouldn't Put Up Barriers to Keep the Master from Seeing"...Cabinet Meetings to Continue Live Broadcasting

Regarding the live broadcasting of Cabinet meetings, President Lee stated on the program: "There are times when errors or inappropriateness are exposed, but because it increases credibility, I intend to continue it in the future."

He then emphasized the ownership of state affairs, asking: "State affairs belong to the people. If people want to see how a servant works, we should let them see it. The servant shouldn't put up barriers and hide, should it?"

He added, however, that not all matters are unconditionally disclosed, and that state affairs are conducted with a thorough classification between matters for public discussion and matters to be kept confidential.

"Not Trapped in Algorithm...Request to Refrain from Retweeting Is Difficult to Accept"

He also directly refuted claims previously made by broadcaster Kim Eo-jun and others, who argued that "the President is trapped in an SNS algorithm prison, exposed to biased information," and called for restraint in retweeting.

President Lee stated: "Some argue that I'm 'trapped in an algorithm,' but I am absolutely not trapped. I see insults and criticisms." He added, "With calluses built up, I'm not easily wounded by such things," dismissing the claim outright.

In particular, regarding claims that when retweeting specific posts one should "verify all the history of that person and then share," he curtly said it was "difficult to accept." This reaffirmed his commitment to using SNS as a broad communication channel without being constrained by external criticism or concerns about bias.

"SNS Is a Lifeline for Me"...Unprecedented Surprise Live Broadcast from Office Announced

President Lee described his SNS activities as being "like a lifeline." He reflected, "Throughout my life, there have been many cases where the media, politics, and power all attacked me. Had I not communicated directly with the people at those times, I likely would not be in this position today."

While acknowledging that the media plays an important role as a conveyor of information, he expressed his conviction that this alone is not sufficient.

《President's Y》, which made its debut today, was hosted by former announcer Sohn Jeong-eun, features a 30-minute format, and will be released through YouTube channels <KTV Imagine> and <Lee Jae-myung TV> at intervals of 2-3 weeks for the time being. The Presidential Office is also keeping open the possibility of transitioning to live broadcasting in the future.

At the end of the program, President Lee said: "While we do recordings, I'd like to do some live broadcasts going forward. It's risky, but I want to show everything from within. I'm thinking of occasionally doing surprise live broadcasts from my office," signaling a series of unprecedented communication endeavors to come.