Jin Nyeom: "Juniors, you must be ready to resign if it's for the people"

Jin Nyeom’s Advice to Public Officials

Former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Jin Nyeom is being interviewed on the 9th at the Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy, Reporter Joo Sang-don] "Public officials are people who work for the country and its citizens. Ultimately, if you believe it is for the country and the people, you must know how to push forward without hesitation. If your resolve weakens, you should have the courage to resign, but it is unfortunate that younger colleagues these days lack that."

This is the advice from former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Jin Nyeom to junior public servants. It is also a heartfelt reproach to the younger generation in our society beyond just public officials.

He still meets with junior officials through the trainee administrative officer training program. Last year, to better understand the thoughts of younger colleagues, he read the book "90nyeonsaengi Onda" (The 90s Generation is Coming), which recounts experiences interacting with new employees born in the 1990s, and then met with his juniors.

One thing he never fails to emphasize when meeting juniors is the importance of "conviction." He said, "I feel good seeing juniors who passed the difficult exams and were appointed, but I also worry a lot," adding, "It seems they are more interested in 'work-life balance' than in thinking about 'what a public official should do,' which is regrettable." He is not criticizing the pursuit of work-life balance, but warns against falling into complacency in the name of work-life balance. Jin said, "During my 40 years in public service, I was nearly forced out at least five times, but I never compromised my convictions," and expressed concern, "In the past, even if the vice minister said something, I would speak confidently, but nowadays, that culture seems to have disappeared."

Jin graduated from university in 1963 and began his bureaucratic career as an administrative officer in the Planning Bureau of the Economic Planning Board. At a time when South Korea’s economy was rapidly growing and the national budget was expanding quickly, it usually took only 5 to 6 years to be promoted from administrative officer to section chief. However, he was promoted to section chief 2 to 3 years later than others. The joy of becoming the important price control section chief was short-lived. It was right after the second oil shock, and the government set cement prices to stabilize inflation. Jin recalled, "I calculated the cement price considering principal and interest repayments on foreign loans, transportation costs, and facility depreciation, but I was reprimanded by superiors for setting the price too low. However, I stood firm," and added, "Eventually, I was demoted to a junior section chief in the Fund Planning Division of the Economic Planning Board."

He cited the recent controversy over the selection of recipients for the emergency disaster relief fund as a representative example. Jin pointed out, "Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki initially insisted that support should be given only to the bottom 70% income bracket, but it was ultimately decided to provide it to all citizens," and criticized, "If he had stuck to supporting only the 70%, he should have resigned to enforce that."

He also said the environment that prevents public officials from working with conviction must be changed. Jin emphasized, "These days, many say that public officials cannot last long if they have beliefs and convictions. This is partly their own problem, but it is also a problem that public officials are not respected even when they dedicate themselves," and stressed, "We must trust public officials so they can work confidently with conviction."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.