President Lee Holds First New Year’s Press Conference Since Returning to Blue House: "I Will Allow Ample Time"

President Lee Jae-myung’s first New Year’s press conference since returning to the Blue House was conducted in a generally serious and calm atmosphere. On the morning of January 21, at 10 a.m., President Lee held the New Year’s press conference under the slogan “Great Transformation Together, Great Leap Forward for All” at the Blue House State Guest House, with around 160 domestic and international journalists in attendance.

On the 21st, citizens are watching the broadcast of President Lee Jae-myung's New Year's press conference in the Seoul Station concourse, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. 2026.01.21 Photo by Yoon Dongju

Wearing a green and white striped tie, President Lee delivered his opening remarks for about 14 minutes. He stated, “I will try to allow as many journalists as possible to ask questions,” but also added, “As I share what I need to say to the people, my remarks may inevitably become lengthy.” He continued, “The scheduled time for the press conference is 90 minutes, but if you wish, I am willing to take as much time as needed.”

The Q&A session proceeded in the order of public livelihood and economy, politics, diplomacy and security, and then society, culture, and other topics. The President and the moderator (spokesperson) directly designated the questioners. Accordingly, the seats for journalists at the back of the press conference hall were set higher than those at the front, to ensure clear visibility for those seated in the back rows.

The method of selecting questioners by business card drawing, which had been used in previous press conferences, was omitted this time. A Blue House official explained, “We decided it would be better to take even one more question rather than spend time drawing business cards.”

This press conference also provided an opportunity for two professional YouTubers active in the fields of economy and culture to ask questions. The economic and financial YouTube channel “UPPITY” and the culture and arts channel “Neol Wihan Munhwa Yesul” submitted their questions in advance via pre-recorded video.

During his answers, President Lee occasionally lightened the mood with lighthearted jokes. After watching a government promotional video, he remarked to the press, “Usually, people applaud when a video like this ends, but I wonder what people might say if you clap, so perhaps you’re being cautious.” While discussing the issue of youth entrepreneurship, he commented, “Journalists these days often use AI to write articles, don’t they? Maybe not.”