"Cannot Agree," Firmly States President Lee... What He Wrote on Social Media

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung has expressed his position that he "cannot agree" with media reports carrying calls from some quarters that Cabinet meetings should be closed to the public. President Lee firmly stated that words that cannot be spoken because a meeting is open to the public can be said in a closed-door session or conveyed individually, emphasizing that openness is the principle for all administration, including state affairs.

Reporter Kang Cheongwan has the story.

[Reporter]

This morning (October 16), President Lee Jae-myung posted a message titled "Regarding the Controversy over Opening Cabinet Meetings to the Public" on social media, stating, "I cannot agree with the argument from some quarters that Cabinet meetings should be entirely closed to the public."

President Lee said, "Cabinet meeting minutes have already been made public previously, and openness is the principle for all administration, including state affairs." He added that other than a minister mentioning that "it is difficult because Cabinet meetings are open to the public" during a dinner hosted by the prime minister, "reports claiming that recommendations were made not to open them to the public or bringing up social media appear to be untrue."

The president directly rebutted recent media reports that some ministers had recommended closing Cabinet meetings during a dinner hosted by the prime minister.

President Lee explained that Cabinet meetings are held with an open session followed by a separate closed-door session, during which issues requiring security or matters that could put Cabinet members in an awkward position are discussed. He stated, "Words that cannot be said because it is public can be said in the closed session, and if there are still things that are difficult to say, I encourage them to call or send a message individually."

He went on to say, "A good friend is a friend who offers bitter advice," adding, "If a public official fails to point out issues that another public official needs to correct, it is either an evasion of responsibility stemming from selfishness or something that goes against the trust of the people." He stated, "I am certain that at least in this administration, there is no Cabinet member who cannot say what needs to be said to the president."

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo and Ha Ryung | Video Editing by Nam Il)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.