President Lee Jae-myung (center, back row) poses for a commemorative photo with leaders of the G7 and invited countries at the G7 Summit venue in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 17 (local time). (Joint Press Coverage)
SEOUL, June 22 (Korea Bizwire) — In an era where diplomacy increasingly plays out in digital spaces, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is reshaping how leaders connect with the world—one tweet at a time.
Earlier this week, before departing for the G7 Summit in Canada, President Lee instructed his staff to publish his social media messages not only in Korean but also in the language of his foreign counterparts. The initiative, his office said Saturday, reflects Lee’s belief that diplomacy begins with “respectful communication.”
“Messages from the president should resonate not only with South Koreans abroad but also with citizens in the countries he engages with,” a senior official at the presidential office explained.
True to form, Lee’s X (formerly Twitter) feed became a linguistic showcase during his trip: a post on his summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba appeared in both Korean and Japanese. His meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was documented in Korean and English. For Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the post was translated into Spanish.
This image, captured from the X pages of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on June 21, 2025, shows posts on their recent summit written in both Korean and Japanese. (Yonhap)
These bilingual—and at times trilingual—updates aren’t just courtesy gestures; they are part of what the Blue House describes as Lee’s “digital diplomatic strategy,” aimed at fostering empathy and building people-to-people ties across borders.
“This is not a one-off move for specific countries,” the presidential office noted. “It’s a sustained approach rooted in President Lee’s governing philosophy. We believe multilingual communication will help sow trust and connection in the international community.”
In a hyper-connected world where a single message can transcend borders in seconds, President Lee is betting that diplomacy in the 21st century must be not only strategic—but fluently human.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
