Looking back at press conferences by past presidents··· ‘communication’ through persuasion and concession, or ‘non-communication’ through excuses and pushing ahead - 경향신문

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With President Lee Jae Myung set to hold a press conference on the 18th to break through the downturn in approval ratings for state affairs, past examples of presidents communicating directly with the public are drawing renewed attention. In some crises, presidents promised a shift in governing direction, apologized in person, and persuaded the public to open a way out; in other cases, their messages and demeanor only fanned controversy. Roughly a year and three months into his term, with his approval rating having fallen into the 30% range, how sincerely and what message President Lee delivers appears likely to be the key to this briefing.

Among past presidents, a case often cited of forging a breakthrough through direct communication with the public during a crisis is former President Kim Dae-jung’s ‘Conversation with the People’ on May 10, 1998. Approaching his 100th day in office, Kim said, “We have only averted catastrophe; the crisis is by no means over,” appealing for nationwide shared sacrifice to overcome the foreign exchange crisis. With approval ratings in the 60% range, he was credited with securing governing momentum to surmount the crisis. Near the end of his term, on June 21, 2002, after his sons were arrested one after another on corruption charges, Kim bowed his head in a national apology, saying, “All of this stemmed from my own shortcomings and lapses,” and “I once again apologize to the people.”

Another example of attempting to turn the tide and lift approval ratings was a press conference by former President Roh Moo-hyun. Amid falling approval, in a special address to the nation on January 9, 2007, Roh proposed a one-point constitutional amendment to allow a four-year, two-term presidency. On April 2 the same year, immediately after the conclusion of negotiations on the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), he said in an address to the nation that it was “a decision made at the risk of political damage.” In both cases, approval ratings rebounded after the addresses.

June 2008 special briefing “We will drop U.S. beef”Policy line shifted amid public candlelight protests against imports

Former President Lee Myung-bak is cited as an example of a shift in governing policy. In a radio and internet address on June 29, 2009, he declared that he would not pursue the Grand Korean Waterway projectthen a core national agendaduring his term. In June 2008, amid candlelight protests against U.S. beef imports, he had already said in a special press conference, “If the people oppose it, I will not push it,” and subsequently shelved major government projects.

After his job-approval rating fell to the low 20% range following the deaths of former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung, Lee also proclaimed a middle-of-the-road, pragmatic line at a senior secretaries’ meeting on June 24, 2009. At that time, the Lee administration sought to broaden its base by shifting its governing stance to policies friendly to the underprivileged.

There are also cases cited as cautionary tales. Thirty-four days after the Sewol ferry disaster, on May 19, 2014, former President Park Geun-hye apologized in an address to the nation and announced a plan to disband the Korea Coast Guard, but negative reactions emerged, particularly from the then-opposition, calling it a “band-aid remedy that missed the essence of the tragedy.”

Communication around former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s response to the ‘Kim Keon-hee risk’ is also cited as a failure. In a New Year’s interview with KBS on February 7, 2024, Yoon said regarding allegations that the first lady accepted a luxury handbag that he “had not been harsh.” In an address to the nation and press conference on November 7 the same year, while apologizing over allegations related to Myung Tae-gyun and issues involving the first lady, he called the special counsel bill on the first lady “political agitation” and “a violation of human rights.” Opinions diverged over whether he had sufficiently addressed the core of the controversy.

In presidential press conferences, observers also note that the attitude and sincerity with which messages on current issues are delivered matter as much as the messages themselves. Rather than unilaterally explaining his own position or pleading grievance, the president should show that he is answering what the public is curious about and concerned with.

Yoo Seung-chan, head of Storydot, said, “The best way to comfort the public is a candid apology from the president,” adding, “He should apologize for the confusion over real estate policy, the leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF) fiasco, and repeated personnel failures, and promise not to pursue withdrawal of prosecutions and a constitutional amendment for consecutive terms.”

Inside and outside the Blue House, there is speculation that in this press conference President Lee will state that he has no intention of seeking consecutive terms, and will also ask for deletion of the provision on withdrawal of prosecutions from the special counsel bill on fabricated indictments being pushed by the Democratic Party.

Lee Jae-mook, a professor of political science and international relations at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, sai, “If he appears to dodge the issues of a consecutive-terms amendment and withdrawal of prosecutions, it would be worse than not holding a press conference at all,” adding, “The effect is maximized when he dispels the public’s concerns and doubts and handles uncomfortable questions well.”