President-Elect Announces Governance Blueprint

In a New Year’s press conference held on Jan. 14, President-elect Lee Myung-bak delivered a speech in a calm and composed spirit, leading a question and answer session with reporters in a congenial atmosphere.

However, it is said that the president-elect elaborated over the messages of the speech to such an extent that he revised the manuscript until the final moment before the address.

It is also reported that he had canceled all weekend activities in order to prepare for the briefing on state affairs by the presidential transition committee and the New Year’s press conference. He has held a press conference for reporters at home and abroad on Dec. 20, one day after the presidential election. However, this address was particularly special in that this was the first conference for him, as an incoming president to run the next administration, to offer his outlined policy plans and call on cooperation from the political circle and the nation.

Due to those reasons, Lee’s speech draft, already distributed to news media an hour early, has undergone two revisions until the last moment, and a man in charge of the prompter reportedly had a hard time as well.

When first asked about the role and status of the first prime minister of the next administration, Lee responded with humor, saying, “You are supposed to ask me about the president, not the prime minister.” He also jokingly responded to the question over the special investigation against him, saying "Do you have to ask that?"

Using words, such as “positive,” “future” and “hope” several times in the speech, Lee praised volunteers in the oil spill region of Taean County as showing "the greatness of Koreans that finds hope in the midst of despair.”

On the contrary, he strongly articulated his arguments in the face of counter assertions over the controversial cross-country canal system, seven-percent annual economic growth, real estate measures, and education policy.

In particular, he expressed his distress regarding the canal project and education policy, saying, “Some media reported as if these issues are already out of the question. They are concerned about private tutoring costs and the revival of individual university admission tests. But that wouldn’t happen.”

He reportedly changed a part of the original version of the address, “no matter how good policies I have, I will not pursue them if the nation opposes,” to “From the beginning of policy establishment process, I will seek enough opinions and consensus from the experts, involved parties, and the public.

In the press conference room, high-ranking officials from the Grand National Party (GNP) were present including party Chairman Kang Jae-seop, floor leader Ahn Sang-soo, and officials from the presidential transition committee such as Chairwoman Lee Kyung-sook, Vice Chairman Kim Hyung-o.

Prior to the press conference, some participants are said to have jokingly engaged in a nerve war over the seat arrangement. GNP chairman Kang Jae-seop’s humorous remarks made the venue much more relaxed and easy-going.

The conference was aired live by major TV networks, such as KBS, MBC, SBS, and cable news channels YTN and MBN. The number of reporters in the conference was limited to 70 and they had to undergo severe ID checks at the gate by security guards.

swpark@donga.com