Yeh Young-june
The author is the head of the editorial board at the JoongAng Ilbo.
President Lee Jae Myung is the first among Korea’s 14 presidents to have served as both a mayor and a provincial governor before entering the Blue House. Over his 11 years in local administration, he accumulated experience and practical knowledge across nearly every policy field except diplomacy and defense. Those experiences have become one of his defining strengths as president.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the 23rd Cabinet meeting and 10th emergency economic review meeting held at the Blue House on May 26. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Over the past year, Lee has reinforced that image through televised Cabinet meetings, ministry briefings and town hall meetings. He is widely seen as a leader who is deeply familiar with administrative details and unusually strong with numbers. That perception likely explains why his approval ratings have often exceeded support for his party. A veteran president with broad expertise naturally keeps not only close aides but also rank-and-file bureaucrats on edge.
