Sangwoo Park, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "The Beginning and End of Policy is the People...Approach from a Practical and Realistic Perspective"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Park Sang-woo urged employees to uphold four public service values: creativity, practicality, communication, and cooperation.

Sangwoo Park, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport / Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport

At the New Year's ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 2nd, Minister Park stated, "There is no ideology that surpasses the convenience of the people. The beginning and end of policy is the people," adding, "Policies should be approached from the perspective of practicality and usefulness, not ideology or slogans."

He continued, "The public's perspective is not always warm. It is still difficult for people to own their homes, and the long commute of 116 minutes is exhausting," emphasizing, "We must engrave the practical value of 'Heukmyo Baekmyo' (Deng Xiaoping's economic policy meaning 'whether a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice well') and prove our policies through tangible improvements in people's lives."

He also pointed out that new challenges remain to be solved, such as concerns over the deterioration of real estate project financing (PF). He urged, "It is necessary to break away boldly from existing customs and conventions and present solutions from a new perspective through 'creative administration.'"

Reflecting on his experience in frontline administration as a civilian after retiring as president of Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), Minister Park said, "As a senior public official, I felt regret when policies disconnected from reality were occasionally announced in a market like a battlefield," and added, "From now on, we must observe the field not with a telescope but with a magnifying glass and communicate with policy users."

Furthermore, he said, "I ask employees to approach their assigned tasks with the responsibility as if they were the minister," and "I hope you will stand tall as the top experts in land, infrastructure, and transport with professionalism."

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