Lee Jaemyung Strongly Admonishes Cabinet Over "Distortion of Closed-Door Meeting Contents"
Presidential Office Denies Directive to Lee Jinsook on "Three Broadcasting Laws"
Emphasizes Cabinet Is a Forum for State Affairs Discussion
On July 8, President Lee Jaemyung strongly admonished during a Cabinet meeting, stating, "The contents of closed-door meetings must not be distorted and used for personal political purposes." However, the presidential office did not specify whom this warning was directed at. Within and outside the presidential office, there is speculation that this remark was aimed at Lee Jinsook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission, who sparked controversy over whether the President had issued directives regarding the so-called "three broadcasting laws."
On this day, Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the presidential office, stated in a briefing at the Yongsan presidential office, "(President Lee) sternly admonished the Cabinet meeting participants that the Cabinet meeting is a forum for discussing state affairs, and that the contents of closed-door meetings must not be distorted and used for personal political purposes." Chairperson Lee had claimed at the full meeting of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee on July 7 that "I received a directive from President Lee to draft a proposal for the Korea Communications Commission." In response, the presidential office refuted this, stating that the term "directive" used by Chairperson Lee was "closer to a request for opinion rather than an instruction."
Spokesperson Kang also conveyed that the issue was raised again during the Cabinet meeting that day, and President Lee reiterated that "it was not a directive, but rather a request for opinion."
Additionally, during the Cabinet meeting, the Public Procurement Service delivered a business report. President Lee stated, "It is important to strengthen internal competition and enhance transparency and fairness in the procurement administration system," and added, "In addition to increasing the budget for research and development (R&D), please devise ways to significantly expand the procurement budget for goods and services from innovative companies in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI)." President Lee also requested a follow-up report on ways to make the procurement of goods by the Public Procurement Service more economical and rational.
President Lee emphasized, "When public officials attempt new initiatives, they may feel burdened by potential audits or investigations. If we try to judge these matters only from a retrospective perspective, nothing can be accomplished. It is important to create an environment where people can work boldly." He also reiterated his request to break down barriers between ministries, urging them to communicate and seek the best solutions to prevent long-standing conflicts of interest between ministries.
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