President Lee Says "Superhuman Overwork at the Presidential Office...Inevitable in a Battlefield-Like Situation"

by Song Seungseop

Published 20 Feb.2026 10:38(KST)

President Lee Jaemyung's social media

On the 20th, President Lee Jaemyung said, "I truly feel sorry for the presidential secretariat, which is being exposed to superhuman levels of overwork, but given that the Republic of Korea is currently in a situation akin to a battlefield, there is no other choice."

That morning, President Lee shared an article from The Asia Business Daily on his own social networking service (SNS) account and made these remarks. The article stated that since the launch of the Lee Jaemyung administration, staff members at the presidential office have worked an average of 62.1 hours of overtime per month.

President Lee stressed, "As I always say, one hour of a public official's time has the value of 52 million hours," adding, "With the participation and encouragement of the people, we will soon achieve great results and usher in a stable era of peace."

He then addressed the presidential staff, saying, "The lives, fortunes, and life-or-death situations of countless people depend on just 10 minutes of your time," and offered consolation by adding, "Even though it is hard, in such a short life, where else could you find time as meaningful as this?"

He went on to encourage them by saying, "You, who possess such precious time, let us gather our strength!"