Lee Ju-ho "I want to remain minister until 2025... I will endure and complete my mission"

Cited as Achievement in Senior Official Staff Reduction
Low Birthrate and Glocal University as Secondary Priorities

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho expressed his ambition at a point one year before the end of his term, saying, "I hope to accomplish it by 2025. Although it feels uncertain, I will endure until the end and complete my mission."

On the evening of the 5th, during a dinner with reporters, Deputy Prime Minister Lee was asked about his reflections on the past year as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister. He replied, "I thought I must seize the second opportunity to serve as minister without missing it. Even in the ongoing crisis, I have the single-minded determination to succeed by enduring without being dismissed." Deputy Prime Minister Lee will mark one year in office on the 7th of next month.

He explained, "This year is the inaugural year of education reform, and next year will be the year when changes begin in earnest on the ground," adding, "Issues such as school violence, the decline of teachers' authority, and the private education cartel will start to change based on genuine communication and collaborative efforts rooted in schools and classrooms."

He also cited the reduction of senior officials in the Ministry of Education assigned to the secretariat of national universities as his greatest achievement. Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "This is one of the cases where a crisis was turned into an opportunity," and added, "Among the senior officials, the 18 positions and the senior manager level 3 positions are outdated." He emphasized, "Innovation begins by relinquishing one's own authority," and said, "This change is a significant transformation."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He further stated, "The Higher Education and University Regulation Innovation Bureau will be sunsetted as of January 1 next year," adding, "Such a thing has never happened in the history of the Korean government." He explained, "Regulatory reform theorists always say that after reform, jobs disappear, so if the regulatory reform bureau remains, can that really be called reform?" He conveyed that he told the bureau, "You must be the last director and succeed in the sunset process with that determination."

In addition, he expressed his ambition to solve the low birthrate problem. Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "Neulbom School and the integration of childcare and kindergarten are among the core agendas of the low birthrate issue," and added, "The Ministry of Education will gain recognition and, as the department of the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, will solve social challenges through the power of education."

He also mentioned the necessity of regulatory reform in universities. Deputy Prime Minister Lee stated, "I want to complete the reform that breaks down walls so that universities can become hubs of innovation by 2025 if given the opportunity," and explained, "For universities to become hubs of innovation in our society and play a pivotal role in social change, walls blocking universities and various fields must be torn down, and walls between majors within universities must also be dismantled."

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