President Lee Defends Policy Revisions, Says Refining Plans Is Creating 'More Perfect Policies' Amid Flip-Flop Criticism

Addressing criticisms that the government lacks policy consistency and is "flip-flopping" over its stance that the tax code revision announced last week could be modified and supplemented, President Lee refuted the claims, stating that it is a process of "creating better and more perfect policies."

Presiding over a meeting of senior secretaries and aides at the Yeomingwan in the Blue House today (the 13th), President Lee emphasized, "Even after a policy is announced, we must faithfully reflect public opinion to further enhance its perfection," making the remarks as such.

President Lee pointed out, "Because people view any changes made after an initial policy announcement as a lack of consistency or criticize it as 'flip-flopping,' there is a tendency to avoid making changes," adding that "this is an outdated method of the past."

He continued by saying, "Public officials and civil servants cannot be 100 percent perfect beings," explaining that a normal policy-making process involves "doing our best to draft a policy proposal, presenting it to the public or the political sphere, and when various good suggestions or revisions are offered, rationally reviewing them, holding transparent discussions, and incorporating them to create better and more perfect policies."

He added, "I hope people will refrain from expressing or thinking that the initial proposal was changed, or that adopting rational amendments means the policy lacks consistency or is flip-flopping."

He also noted, "Some use expressions like 'making a patchwork' out of this, but rather than being bound by such things, I hope we will boldly gather opinions from the public, experts, and the opposition parties and political circles," and urged, "I want us to meticulously craft and complete practical and pragmatic measures that suit the actual lives of the citizens."

President Lee expressed a similar stance during a Cabinet meeting the day before yesterday (the 11th), stating, "Rather than presenting a finalized plan and blindly pushing it forward unilaterally, there is always room for modification when a proposal is introduced."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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