President Lee Reflects on One Year in Office Ahead of Anniversary Press Conference

The Blue House has released details of President Lee Jae-myung's extensive activities as he approaches the one-year anniversary of his administration.

On June 7, the Blue House issued a press release highlighting the president's achievements over the past year.

Starting his term without a transition team, President Lee has participated in 250 domestic events, 178 local events, and international visits to 14 countries over the past year.

Domestic events have focused on citizen participation and unity, featuring nationwide town hall meetings and public appointments, in line with the principles of a government centered on the people.

In addition to high-level meetings with world leaders, President Lee successfully hosted the 2025 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit in Gyeongju, showcasing a pragmatic approach to diplomacy centered on national interests.

The president has traveled approximately 22,929 kilometers domestically—over half the Earth's circumference—while engaging in international diplomacy that covered a total of 150,000 kilometers, equivalent to about 3.8 times around the globe.

To promote national unity and communication, President Lee has actively engaged with citizens across the country. The town hall meetings, which have become a hallmark of his administration, attracted over 3,500 residents across 14 cities and provinces, with a total of 12 sessions held.

These meetings have established a model for discussing and shaping policies through direct feedback, where policy proposals are distributed, opinions collected, and results communicated back to participants.

Additionally, President Lee has been proactive in field communication, holding on-site discussions, visiting industrial sites, meeting with cultural and artistic figures, and making surprise visits to local markets linked to community events.

Notably, he visited traditional markets 24 times, averaging once every two weeks, demonstrating his keen interest in revitalizing local economies and addressing citizens' livelihoods.

His extensive diplomatic efforts have also been notable. Over the past year, President Lee visited 14 countries, conducted 39 phone calls with other heads of state, and met with 26 foreign dignitaries and business leaders. The Blue House described this as the most active diplomatic engagement among past presidents in their first year.

Through participation in major multilateral meetings such as the G7, UN, ASEAN, and G20, President Lee has signaled South Korea's return to the international stage. Despite administrative gaps caused by a state of emergency, he successfully hosted APEC 2025 as the chair country.

He held two summits each with the U.S. and Chinese leaders and engaged in shuttle diplomacy with Japan through four reciprocal visits, strengthening key diplomatic ties.

In an unusual move for a first year, he also visited and hosted delegations from key global South cooperation countries, including South Africa, India, Egypt, and Brazil.

Economic events focused on national interests and meetings with expatriates were also conducted effectively. A total of eight economic events, including the Korea-U.S. Business Roundtable and Korea-China Business Forum, were held across seven countries, successfully establishing cooperative networks. Meetings with expatriates were conducted 14 times across 12 countries (including two each in the U.S. and Japan), with over 3,380 attendees, allowing for a vibrant exchange of voices from the expatriate community.

Building on these achievements, President Lee will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on June 8 at the Blue House guesthouse to mark the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. This will be his fourth official press conference, following those held at 30 days, 100 days, and New Year.

The theme of the press conference is "Irreplaceable South Korea," encapsulating a vision and determination to elevate the country from one that the world watches to one that the world needs.

During the press conference, President Lee will reflect on his experiences over the past year and outline his vision and four key goals for the second year of his administration.

The key visuals will consist of "Light, Path, and South Korea." "Light" symbolizes the democracy that the people have preserved despite numerous crises. "Path" conveys the commitment to create new paths alongside the people in the face of national challenges. "South Korea" represents the aspiration for the country's challenges to set new standards and serve as a model for the world.

Approximately 160 journalists from domestic and international media are expected to attend the press conference. As in previous conferences, journalists will be allowed to ask questions freely, without a predetermined script, based on the moderator's and president's selections.

Additionally, two university students with backgrounds in journalism will pose questions regarding the concerns and challenges faced by the younger generation. The students are Jeong Bo-hyun (Ewha Womans University, Economics, Year 4) and Sun Woo-young (Inha University, Mechanical Engineering, Year 4). They have each received awards for their journalistic work, including the "SisaIN University Journalist Award" this year and the "Korea Press Foundation University Journalism Award" last year.

The press conference will be broadcast live on KTV and the YouTube channel "Lee Jae-myung TV."

Chief Blue House Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung stated, "Through domestic events and overseas visits, President Lee has worked to normalize South Korea, which was stalled due to the state of emergency, and has signaled the country's confident return to the international community. Furthermore, he has actively reflected the voices of the people in policies and led efforts for national unity, more than any previous president."