"Must Be Loyal to the Spirit of the Constitution"… Yoon Urges Newly Appointed Vice Minister, Former Secretary

Emphasis on Ministry Work Aligned with Constitutional Spirit
Yoon: "Public Officials Who Are Inactive Should Go to the National Assembly"
High-Level Civil Service Personnel Appointments Expected Soon

"Do not be loyal to me, but be loyal to the spirit of the Constitution."

According to officials from the Presidential Office on the 2nd, President Yoon recently emphasized the protection of the constitutional spirit, which defines liberal democracy and market economy, to five vice minister nominees who were former secretaries during a dinner meeting, saying this as high-ranking public officials.

President Yoon previously stated in October 2013 at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office National Assembly inspection that he "does not pledge loyalty to any person" while exposing investigation interference in the National Intelligence Service's online comment manipulation case.

In particular, since President Yoon has been emphasizing the dismantling of various interest cartels, this remark is also interpreted as a request for the former secretary vice minister nominees to actively fight against them in practice.

In fact, right after the cabinet reshuffle announcement on the 29th of last month, President Yoon urged the vice minister nominees through a written briefing to "boldly confront any predatory interest cartels discovered."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is also known that he requested bold personnel actions against public officials who do not fulfill the tasks assigned to the vice minister nominees. President Yoon mentioned, "If the administration has changed but some public officials do not move at all and think that if they endure a little longer, the administration will change again, those officials should go to the National Assembly, not the government."

On the contrary, he clearly stated that public officials who try to carry out their duties with enthusiasm and creativity should be actively appointed to bring about a renewal in the public service.

Since the government has carried out a cabinet reshuffle including ministers and vice ministers this time, it plans to launch a large-scale personnel reshuffle centered on senior public officials. It is reported that some first-grade public officials in certain ministries have submitted their resignations ahead of the personnel changes. As first-grade directors have submitted their resignations, it is expected that second to fourth-grade public officials will also receive promotions and transfers.

President Yoon will personally preside over the appointment ceremony for 13 vice minister-level officials at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the morning of the 3rd.

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