President Lee Jae-myung stated on the 9th, “Reform essentially involves shedding the outer layer,” and noted, “Conflict and opposition are unavoidable when addressing irrationalities and making them standard.”
The president made this statement during a Cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on the same day, stating, “That is what I believe constitutes genuine reform. If we don’t take this step, what other actions can we take?” This is seen as President Lee demonstrating his resolve to advance the creation of a specialized court for handling insurrection cases, a proposal supported by the ruling party, despite constitutional concerns raised not only by political figures but also by the Judicial Conference.
President Lee stated, “What we must never lose sight of is that this nation is owned by the citizens, not by a small group in power,” and continued, “Even if there are disagreements and confrontations in the legislative process for policies that benefit the people because of differing interests, we should move forward with what is essential based on the people’s desires.”
He went on, “In the beginning, change and reform are such that there will always be people who gain and others who experience losses due to the change,” and he added, “Therefore, a change that faces no resistance or conflict is not truly a change.”
President Lee stated, “Whether it’s the government, public organizations, or local authorities, they consistently offer only the minimum wage when hiring individuals. Why is it that they only pay the minimum wage?” He further mentioned, “The minimum wage serves as a baseline that indicates it should not be lower than this figure, not that it must be exactly this amount. The government is an entity responsible for managing funds effectively.”
President Lee said, “Although fair compensation should be provided for equivalent work, the government tends to offer higher wages to regular employees or those with stable jobs even when they perform the same tasks,” and added, “It should be the other way around. When job stability is reduced, wages should be raised.”
