How Were the 2nd Anniversary Inaugural Press Conferences of Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in?

Moon Jae-in Reveals Thoughts in Dialogue with KBS Reporter
Park Geun-hye Substitutes with 2015 New Year's Press Conference
Lee Myung-bak Did Not Hold Press Conferences on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Anniversaries

President Yoon Suk-yeol held a press conference on the occasion of his 2nd anniversary in office, marking his first press conference in about 21 months since the 100-day press conference after his inauguration. At the 'National Report and Press Conference' held on the morning of the 9th, President Yoon said, "Over the past two years, our efforts and strength to change the lives of the people have been insufficient," adding, "For the next three years, my administration and I will listen carefully to the voices of the people and take more meticulous care of their livelihoods."

The press conference lasted about 1 hour and 13 minutes, during which President Yoon answered 20 questions. The total time taken was nearly 1 hour and 34 minutes, longer than the originally planned 1 hour and 25 minutes. Whether or not a press conference is held is not the sole criterion for measuring communication. This is because communication can also take place through interviews with the media or special occasions where the president meets with the press. Taking President Yoon’s 2nd anniversary press conference as a starting point, we looked into whether former Presidents Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in held press conferences on their 2nd anniversaries, what form they took if they did, and the reasons if they did not.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the '2nd Year National Report and Press Conference of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration' held on the morning of the 9th at the office in the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Presidents Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in did not hold press conferences where they took questions from reporters on their 2nd anniversaries in office. Former President Moon Jae-in appeared on KBS on May 9, 2019, one day before his 2nd anniversary, to explain current issues. In a one-on-one interview format with a KBS reporter, he shared his thoughts on political, economic, social, diplomatic, and defense issues. The first time he faced reporters from the Blue House and publicly shared his thoughts via live broadcast was on May 10, 2020, his 3rd anniversary in office.

Former President Park Geun-hye did not hold any special event on her 2nd anniversary on February 25, 2015. Instead, the New Year’s press conference held on January 12, 2015, at the Blue House Chunghwacang served as the substitute for the 2nd anniversary event. At the New Year’s press conference, President Park announced her New Year’s plans and engaged in a Q&A session with 16 reporters for about an hour and 30 minutes.

Former President Lee Myung-bak also did not hold a press conference on his 2nd anniversary. On February 25, 2010, the Blue House initially considered several events, but following advice that it would be better for the president to focus on state affairs as usual, he attended regular meetings instead. President Lee did not hold press conferences on his 1st, 2nd, or 3rd anniversaries.