Politicians turn to blogs, Twitter

The No. 1 way to reach out to the public in this online networking era may be through blogs and Twitter, a tip which many top officials and politicians here have quickly grasped.

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho has recently started his personal blog titled “positive change” (http://positive-change.tistory.com), according to officials Monday.

The minister will use the blog to post his off-the-record episodes, introduce significant emails which he receives from netizens, or leave replies in the guestbook.

Another avid blogger in officialdom is Agriculture Minister Chang Tae-pyung.

Chang’s blog (http://taepyong.tistory.com), started last year in an attempt to resolve the lack of communication between the public and the government, is frequented especially by citizens in the agricultural industry.

The contents of his blog have recently been compiled in a book and distributed to major farmers’ associations and governmental offices, according to ministry officials.