[New Year's Address] Minister Yoon Hojung: "Strict Response to Irregularities and Illegal Acts in Local Elections"

Kick-off Ceremony Held at Sejong Government Complex on January 5
Expresses Commitment to Chungnam-Daejeon Integration
Stresses the Importance of Improving Organizational Culture

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, stated regarding this year's local elections, "We will respond strictly to any irregularities and illegal acts that undermine the will of the residents, in accordance with the law and principles."

On January 5, during the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's New Year's kick-off ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong, Minister Yoon delivered his New Year's address, saying, "We will support the 9th local elections, which are a key process in realizing resident sovereignty, to ensure they are conducted fairly and transparently."

Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, is speaking at the "National Disaster Management Logistics Company Designation Certificate Award Ceremony" held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on November 26, 2025. Photo by Jo Yongjun

Previously, he set this year's goal as "realizing genuine autonomy and resident sovereignty," and added, "To address regional imbalances caused by the concentration in the metropolitan area, we will expand the axis of Korea's growth, starting with the integration of Chungnam and Daejeon."

He continued, "To overcome difficult challenges such as social polarization and the disappearance of local communities, we will firmly establish the social solidarity economy and lead the recovery of local communities," and added, "We will turn the signs of recovery in people's livelihoods, which have begun to appear through consumption coupons, into real changes that the public can feel."

Minister Yoon also said, "To lead the era of the great transformation brought by artificial intelligence, we will boldly innovate government operations and the overall public service culture to be AI-friendly," and added, "By equipping civil complaint services with AI functions, we will process complaints in a one-stop manner, thereby enhancing both public convenience and administrative efficiency."

He went on to say, "We will further strengthen disaster safety capabilities so that the public can be assured that 'the nation is protecting my daily life and that of my family,'" and pledged, "Together with the police and fire departments at the front lines, we will work seamlessly to maintain public order and respond to disasters."

Minister Yoon emphasized, "For these tasks ahead of us to lead to tangible results, we must listen more deeply to voices from the field through 'participation,' and complement each other's limitations through 'solidarity.' He continued, "And through 'innovation,' we must fundamentally change the way policies are implemented, creating real changes in the lives of each and every citizen."

Highlighting the need for organizational culture change, Minister Yoon promised, "We will use messengers for simple reports and drastically reduce time spent on formatting reports or waiting unnecessarily," and added, "We will foster a culture where respectful language is used and contact outside working hours is minimized as a natural practice."