President Lee Jae-myung emphasized on the 16th that “state affairs must be transparently disclosed to the people, who are the main subjects of state affairs, so that the operation of state affairs centered on the people can be properly realized.” President Lee made this statement during his opening remarks at the 54th Cabinet meeting held at the Government Complex Sejong, noting that “the public’s interest in the first-ever live broadcast of the work report is very high.”
President Lee acknowledged that “of course, from the perspective of public officials in each ministry, they may not be accustomed to the new method, and it may be more convenient to report work in the same way as in previous years.” However, he emphasized that “the policy process must be transparently verified, and collective intelligence must be gathered in the process to increase trust in the policy and enhance the completeness of state affairs.” He added, “This is why the current government is conducting work reports in front of the public, unlike previous administrations,” and “only then can ‘people’s sovereignty’ be substantiated.”
President Lee also made it clear that special rewards would be given to public officials who show exceptional dedication and performance. He stated, “Like all other tasks, state affairs are ultimately carried out by people,” adding, “It is impossible to create policies for the people and implement them well on the ground without the dedication, passion, and responsibility of each public official.” He instructed, “Each ministry should quickly implement follow-up measures to ensure that public officials who achieve outstanding results receive corresponding exceptional rewards.”
President Lee also mentioned the need for a policy paradigm shift to address polarization. He said, “There are many problems in our society, but the fundamental issue is polarization.” He emphasized that “to alleviate polarization, even if we cannot completely resolve it, we must boldly shift the policy paradigm from quantitative growth to fair and sustainable growth.” He added, “To this end, it is crucial to build an economic ecosystem that promotes solidarity and cooperation among social members along with government policies.” He requested, “The government should thoroughly research measures to revitalize the social solidarity economy or social economy across various fields such as cooperatives, education, culture, arts, care, medical care, housing, climate, and energy.”