Cites Report on Blue House Workload at All-Time High
"We Are in a Crisis; Even Pouring In All Our Time Is Not Enough"
Stresses Clear Rewards and Punishments and a Culture of Agency Heads Taking Responsibility
Calls Raising Maintenance Fees Instead of Rent "Virtually a Criminal Act"
President Lee Jaemyung stressed, “There was a report saying that the workload at the Blue House is at an all-time high, and I believe the situation is probably the same at the ministries as well,” adding, “The fate of the nation rests in the hands of public officials. We are currently in a crisis and emergency situation, so even if we pour in all of our time, it would still not be enough.”
On the 24th, President Lee made these remarks in his opening statement at a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House, saying, “Even if things are difficult for a while, I hope you will endure it well. We must tighten our shoelaces even more firmly to listen to the hardships people are facing in their daily lives.” On the 20th, The Asia Business Daily exclusively published an article analyzing the workload of Blue House aides under the headline, “Blue House workload at an all-time high... 62 hours of overtime per person per month.”
He also called for a clear system of rewards and punishments to encourage proactive and responsible administration, while asking that a culture be established in the public sector in which the head of each agency takes responsibility. President Lee said, “Because of disciplinary measures, a climate has emerged in which people are reluctant to do anything beyond what has been done as a matter of routine,” and urged, “We must work to create a country where public officials who work hard and proactively are respected through institutional reforms.”
He went on to emphasize that superiors must demonstrate in practice that they take full responsibility. Referring to his personal experience of public officials cautiously bringing him a final draft whenever he gave them an instruction, President Lee explained, “To alleviate public officials’ concerns, please write down the instructions (clearly). As long as the work is carried out in accordance with the written instructions, those who executed them should not be subject to reprimand, and the minister can take responsibility.”
Through this kind of public-sector culture, he also called on officials to identify and improve hidden problems in the field. President Lee said, “When you try to carry out reforms, there are bound to be vested interests or inertia that generate resistance, and in many cases problems are concealed,” adding, “Performance is not achieved by fixing one or two things in some dramatic way, but if you accumulate small improvements, they become real results. (To do that,) devotion is required.” He continued, “There are problems that do not surface. That is why what happens on the ground is important,” and added, “Through constant dialogue and discussion, we need to adjust our perspective to that of the demand side, and we need to interact with people who have new perspectives.”
President Lee also condemned the practice of raising maintenance fees instead of rent as a trick, saying, “This is virtually close to a criminal act; it may even constitute deception or fraud.” He pointed out, “It is a very bad practice, yet there are cases where people think it is acceptable to routinely charge more in maintenance fees,” and analyzed, “It may look trivial, but there is a possibility that the number of people with an interest in this issue reaches several million nationwide.” He then added, “All of this is corruption. I would like to see this issue sorted out.”
In addition, President Lee said, “Thanks to the global boom in K-pop culture, the number of foreign tourists visiting our country last year hit an all-time high,” and urged, “We must use this trend as a springboard for our tourism industry to make a qualitative leap forward.” He went on, “To this end, we must break away from the imbalance in which 80% of tourists are concentrated in Seoul,” and pointed out, “We must also eradicate outdated and anachronistic practices such as price gouging and aggressive touting.”
Regarding the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which closed on the 23rd (local time), President Lee said, “Despite the fighting spirit and performance of our athletes, it is regrettable that public enthusiasm did not heat up sufficiently compared with past international events,” and argued, “We need institutional reforms that more broadly guarantee our people’s access to international events.” This is interpreted as a criticism that public interest declined because JTBC held the exclusive broadcasting rights to the Olympics.
After President Lee’s opening remarks, a discussion was held on lowering the age threshold for juvenile protection status. Vice Justice Minister Lee Jinsu said, “We have prepared a comprehensive countermeasure against juvenile crime and implemented numerous measures to prevent offenses and recidivism, but crimes committed by minors who are exempt from criminal responsibility are still increasing,” and argued, “It is necessary to begin earnest discussions on lowering the age standard for minors.” The current threshold for juvenile protection status is “14 years of age,” and there is an opinion that this should be lowered to 13.
In response, President Lee said, “It seems most reasonable to distinguish (juvenile protection status) by whether the offender is an elementary school student or a middle school student,” adding, “As I see it, an overwhelming majority of the public seems to think that the age should be lowered by at least one year.” However, he also said, “Over the next two months, let us整理 the points of contention, gather public opinion, and then reach a conclusion,” and instructed the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to “carry out a public debate on the issue.”
On this day, the agenda items reported by ministries included: an analysis of population changes in depopulation areas; a plan to clear illegal facilities occupying rivers and valleys; and measures by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to stabilize the rare-earth supply chain. Cooperative agenda items reported included: the operation of a task force (TF) of related ministers for special management of the cost of living; and preparations for hosting the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
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