President Lee Gives Special Lecture to New Grade-5 Managers on the 14th
"You Must Regard Money as the Devil and Be Cautious"
President Lee Jae Myung is giving a special lecture titled "The Era of Popular Sovereignty, The Path of Public Officials" to the 70th class of new 5th-grade managers at the National Human Resources Development Institute for Public Officials in Jincheon, Chungbuk on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 14th, President Lee Jae Myung stated, "I will create a public service culture where frontline officials are never held accountable for actions taken with good intentions and sound judgment, under any circumstances."
President Lee made these remarks during a special lecture for new 5th-grade managers at the National Human Resources Development Institute for Public Officials in Jincheon, Chungbuk, on the same day.
He said, "At some point, a strange culture emerged where, if you failed, people would ask, 'Why did you make that decision?' and hold you accountable." He analyzed, "As a result, public officials began to decide never to take on anything that might involve responsibility beyond their assigned duties." He emphasized, "I will do my utmost to ensure that public officials are not held retrospectively accountable for actions taken with good intentions for any other purpose."
President Lee also named three criteria for public officials to base their decisions on: direction, diligence, and technique (capability). He said, "You are highly likely to have a long career in public service, so please continue to develop your abilities at every moment." He added, "If you constantly ask yourself how you can achieve better results, your skills will gradually improve."
In particular, President Lee emphasized the importance of integrity for public officials, pointing out that "money is the devil." He said, "I have been the target of all kinds of slander as a corrupt person," but explained, "I have managed my life with utmost rigor in my own way." He continued, "If you regard money as something truly frightening, like the devil, and are careful, your life will become much easier."
President Lee also shared an anecdote from his time as mayor of Seongnam, when he installed CCTV cameras in his office. He said, "Every time people came to see me, they would ask for favors," and added, "I spread the word about the CCTV to all the media as a warning to contractors, and after that, requests for meetings dropped sharply. In the end, I never had to deal with rumors about taking money."
Meanwhile, President Lee stressed, "From the perspective of a public official exercising authority entrusted by the people, whether you are president, mayor, or governor, there is actually nothing you can do directly." He added, "Whether it is national administration, city government, or provincial government, the outcome of everything ultimately depends on frontline public officials. The fate of this country is in your hands."
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