President Lee: Policies Must Follow Public Realities, Not Force People Into Rigid Systems

President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Policies must follow the situations faced by the public, and we must never commit the error of forcibly fitting people's lives into established systems."

Presiding over the 35th Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex-Sejong today (the 11th), President Lee pointed out, "I urge all public officials to diligently check whether there are any gaps or shortcomings in the existing social safety net system, and to maintain the attitude of true public servants who meticulously look after the lives of struggling citizens."

Although he did not explicitly mention specific policy cases, his remarks are interpreted as having in mind the controversies surrounding the reorganization of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and anti-stock-suppression bills among the tax reform proposals recently announced by the government.

Previously, intense criticism erupted, particularly among overseas stock investors and young demographics, regarding the ISA reorganization plan and the anti-stock-suppression legislation. President Lee reportedly rebuked these issues during a meeting with his presidential aides on the morning of the 7th and ordered a full-scale review.

President Lee also noted, "Given the massive size of the public service sector, while the vast majority work hard and faithfully serve the public, there are some who abuse their authority to pursue private interests or fail to perform their duties properly," adding, "An organization can only maintain itself and fulfill its inherent role when good performance is encouraged and wrongdoings are disciplined."

He emphasized, "We must more thoroughly reward and compensate public officials who are loyal, competent, and deliver results, while excluding reprimands or audits in cases where failures occur despite sincere efforts to do well. At the same time, strict disciplinary measures must inevitably accompany the extremely few instances of irresponsibility, incompetence, corruption, or illicit acts."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.