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/ Yonhap

The Blue House has launched an aggressive campaign to promote its policies, aiming to secure momentum for President Lee Jae-myung's second year in office. Blue House aides are increasingly appearing on television broadcasts and social media platforms, while also taking part in self-produced YouTube shows. Through these efforts, they are highlighting the administration’s achievements and explaining key policies in a more accessible manner, focusing their energy on strengthening communication with the public. This approach reflects President Lee's long-held governance philosophy that "promotion is half the policy," and is seen as an all-out effort to recover approval ratings that plummeted around the June 3 local elections.

On July 7, the Blue House released the first episode of its YouTube program "Fact Mill," produced in its open studio.

Hosted by Sung Ki-hong, Senior Secretary for Public Communication, the premiere featured Ryu Deok-hyun, Presidential Advisor for Fiscal Planning. Ryu revealed that the specific blueprint for the "Future Response Fund"—which will be financed by surplus tax revenues generated from the semiconductor boom—will be unveiled in late August alongside the drafting of next year's budget proposal.

Beyond "Fact Mill," the Blue House has introduced other YouTube programs since last month, including "Accidentally in the Blue House" and "Now You See It, Now You Don't." Additionally, "Jamp's Aides," which gained popularity last year, returned for a second season in May.

While the formats vary—ranging from talk shows and policy briefings to vlogs showcasing the daily routines of staff members—they all share the objective of making government policies easy to understand and building a approachable image for the Lee administration.

The lineup of participating officials is expanding as well. Prominent figures like Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Policy Chief Kim Yong-bum, and National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac are stepping into the spotlight, alongside Senior Secretary for Economic Growth Ha Joon-kyung, Advisor Ryu Deok-hyun, and Protocol Secretary Kwon Hyuk-ki.

"We decided to create these YouTube broadcasts based on the assessment that there were insufficient outlets and communication platforms to properly explain government policies," a Blue House official stated. In particular, the Blue House has recently been channeling its messages through various communication channels toward the younger generation. This focus has grown more pronounced since President Lee's remarks during a cabinet meeting on June 23, where he noted, "The government must take to heart the voices of youth who feel that even a record-high KOSPI index is a reality worlds apart from their own lives."

During his appearance on "Fact Mill," Advisor Ryu stated, "We are preparing a sweeping package of youth policies," noting that "these policies must reflect the needs of young people in areas like housing, employment, and their future aspirations."

Policy Chief Kim Yong-bum also wrote on Facebook on July 2, stating, "Resources that exceed long-term trends should be linked first to strategic sectors such as youth, future industries, education, and regional competitiveness, rather than to short-term economic stimulus." These moves are widely interpreted as a response to the sharp decline in President Lee's approval ratings following the June 3 local elections, particularly with negative sentiments among the 2030 demographic climbing past 60%.

Given the Blue House's recent emphasis on supporting the younger generation, youth initiatives are expected to emerge as a core priority for the second year of the Lee administration, alongside accelerating the "Three Mega-Projects" and stabilizing the housing market. Operating under the view that actively promoting policy achievements is vital to state governance, the Blue House plans to further expand public outreach by its aides. Moving forward, the administration intends to focus its promotional push on major agendas—such as the semiconductor mega-project, the Future Response Fund, and public livelihood and economic policies—while concentrating efforts on broadening its touchpoints with the public.

                                                                                                              Hong Sun-mi