KB News Desk
President Lee Jae Myung will be skipping his summer vacation this year.
Instead, his calendar will be filled with a trip to the US and South America, followed by another round of government policy briefings back in South Korea, the presidential office said Friday.
Lee embarked Friday on an 11-day trip that will take him to San Francisco, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. He will resume official duties after returning to Seoul, including receiving briefings from government ministries.
“Presidents generally take their summer vacation in late July or early August,” a senior presidential official told reporters at the Chunchugwan press center on condition of anonymity.
“But the president has decided to forgo his vacation this year because of his trip to the United States and South America and government commitments, including ministry briefings after his return.”
Despite giving up his own break, Lee encouraged Cabinet ministers and presidential aides to take theirs. He instructed Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik to tell them to rest when it is time to rest and use their allotted vacation days, the unnamed official said.
Kang told Cabinet members that they should take time off so employees under them would feel able to do the same, while ensuring emergency communication systems remain in place.
Kang delivered the same message to the entire presidential staff Thursday, according to the official.
It is rare for a South Korean president to cancel a summer vacation altogether. Even amid political turmoil or a mounting policy workload, presidents have typically kept their vacation schedules, sometimes spending the break quietly at the presidential residence.
Past presidents have occasionally canceled their summer vacations during national disasters or major political, diplomatic or security crises. Others proceeded with their scheduled breaks but remained at the presidential residence to oversee state affairs.
Former President Moon Jae-in canceled his summer vacation for the first time in 2019 amid Japan’s export restrictions and North Korean missile launches. Moon scrapped another planned break in 2020 as torrential rains caused widespread damage across the country.
