"The real problem is pretending to know what you don’t"
"False reports must be held strictly accountable"... Warning against omissions in reporting
On December 16, President Lee Jaemyung stated during a work briefing from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, "Pretending to know what you do not actually know distorts judgment," and emphasized, "False reports, distorted reports, or omissions in reporting must never be tolerated."
President Lee underscored these points in his opening remarks at the work briefing for the Ministry of Health and Welfare and related agencies, held at the Sejong Convention Center International Conference Hall that afternoon. He said, "Are you a bit nervous? Don’t worry about what kind of bombshell might drop," adding that reporting things as they are is the starting point for administrative decision-making. He continued, "If you don’t know something, just say you don’t know. If there is a staff member in charge, let that person explain."
President Lee also mentioned the meeting style he adopted as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, saying, "I had even the division heads attend, and when discussing practical issues, the relevant staff would join in. That’s more efficient," and reiterated, "It’s the same for cabinet meetings. Please do not pretend to know what you don’t."
He went on to say, "The real problem is pretending to know when you actually don’t. That distorts judgment, and it’s even worse-it's wrong." As a typical example of distorted reporting, he cited cases where the summary report does not match the main content. President Lee said, "Usually, there are many cases where the summary report and the main content are different. That’s intentional. The really important things are hidden in the main text, while the summary at the front omits or glosses over the less desirable matters." He added, "Later, people insist they got approval. That is the worst thing."
Regarding false reports, he said, "Anyone who deliberately submits a false report to deceive others is not qualified to be a public official. They must be held strictly accountable." However, he also mentioned cases where false reports are made to avoid a difficult situation, saying, "At the very least, let’s not do that among ourselves." President Lee further stated, "Never use expressions like 'It’s probably like that' or 'Maybe.' If you don’t know, just say you don’t know."
He also issued a strong warning about omissions in reporting. President Lee said, "Failing to report or hiding things that should be reported is also a problem. Supervisors are then forced to make judgments with insufficient information, which distorts decision-making." He continued, "If you feel the need to deceive your supervisor, it’s better to quit and deceive them from outside. This must never, ever be tolerated."
President Lee defined the purpose of public office as "working on behalf of others, working for the people." He said, "We are all people who work for others, not for ourselves. We are paid by the people to act on their behalf, so we must be loyal to the people. The object of our loyalty is not our supervisors, but the people."
He also commented on the increased public interest in national affairs. President Lee said, "These days, I receive an enormous number of messages. People ask me to inquire about this or that," and joked, "I think the viewership for today’s work briefing will be extremely high. There’s even talk that it’s more entertaining than Netflix these days," drawing laughter from the attendees. President Lee added, "It’s a good sign that people are taking more interest in national affairs. It would be good if you all thought of yourselves as reporting to the people as well."
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