"Another Message From the Principal... Now It Feels Like Spam Texts": 9 Presidential Admonitions Flood In Within a Week [Government In]

Three directives issued on the 29th... "Strengthen efforts to reorganize and consolidate subordinate institutions"
Six "mass directives" on the 23rd... promises of exceptional rewards such as accelerated promotions for exemplary cases

Since the start of the New Year, President Lee Jaemyung has frequently issued admonitions to officials of central government ministries, moving to tighten discipline in the public sector. In particular, as a total of 9 directives poured out in just the latter part of January, officials in the Sejong government complex are expressing mixed reactions: some say this helps secure momentum for state affairs, while others complain of fatigue caused by what they see as real-time interference in their work.

Yonhap News

Pressure to "save time and work"... 9 directives issued in a single week

According to government sources on the 5th, President Lee issued three "presidential admonitions" on January 29. He urged officials to curb expectations of undue gains, saying, "For policy credibility and predictability, do not change a policy direction once decided without reasonable grounds." He also strongly encouraged the public sector by saying, "We cannot change everything in five years, but we must shift the direction of our society," and, "Make the most of the limited time and approach your work with the mindset of working diligently for the people." In addition, citing the case of the Korea Forest Service, he ordered ministries to "strengthen in-house efforts to reorganize and consolidate subordinate public institutions."

Earlier, on January 23, as many as 6 directives were issued in a single day. The instructions focused on rewards and penalties in the public sector and on on-site administration. President Lee ordered, "Actively identify exemplary cases of integrity and praiseworthy conduct and implement exceptional rewards such as accelerated promotions," while at the same time sending a strong warning message that "institutions found to have problems after work reports will face strict accountability and sanctions." He also stressed that "on-site inspections and follow-up improvements are what complete government that people can truly feel," and called for reflecting "direct-democracy elements" in policy implementation so that public opinion is heard as much as possible. Guidelines on "sharing best practices of removing silos between ministries" and "proactive reporting through Cabinet meetings" were also included.

These admonitions are mainly delivered through a shared online messenger system. Presidential admonitions of this kind have been a distinguishing feature of President Lee since the early days of his term, especially in contrast with his predecessor, but there is talk that their frequency and intensity have recently increased further. His highly enthusiastic style of governance, to the point of sending messages even during vacation, is now entering the second year of his term and, according to some analyses, "is evolving from simple guidance on state affairs into a real-time monitoring system."

"Another message from the principal"... fatigue complaints versus hopes for organizational vitality

As this presidential "messenger politics" intensifies, reactions are divided among civil servants in Sejong City. On the negative side, there are concerns about infringements on autonomy in their work due to real-time interference. A government official said, "Since admonitions come down frequently through the shared messenger, people joke self-deprecatingly that 'another message from the principal has arrived,'" adding, "Sometimes the directives feel like spam texts because they are so detailed and so frequent." There are also criticisms that, because these messages are accompanied by warnings that "any distortion of directives will be dealt with strictly," the focus when drafting reports shifts from professional autonomy to tailoring them to the president's preferences.

On the other hand, some agree that it is necessary to tighten the slackness of the public sector and enhance the effectiveness of policy execution. Another government official said, "The emphasis on on-site administration and the promise of exceptional rewards such as accelerated promotions for civil servants who deliver results have the positive effect of injecting tension and vitality into the organization." There are also expectations that the directive to "listen directly to the people and refine policies" will serve as an opportunity to improve the quality of administrative services.