President Lee Jae-myung said on the 25th that pushing reforms loudly and with sharply defined goals may draw praise but ultimately hardens resistance and deepens the pain. "Raising your voice and setting lofty, clear-cut goals for reform is good for winning praise. The problem is that doing so heightens the intensity of resistance and magnifies the pain," Lee said, stressing that reform "needs to be approached in a pragmatic and effective way."
The remarks were seen as criticizing both the hardline positions of the party's hawkish faction and elements within the broader ruling camp that have attacked the current government's pragmatic course by comparing it to "reconstruction and redevelopment."
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting held at the former presidential compound, Lee said, "Every time a new government takes office, we talk about reform," adding that "when the democratic reform camp comes to power, the yearning for reform runs high." He noted that governments "present reforms and are delegated authority by the people," but pointed out that "historically, once a revolutionary situation passes, there are many cases of so-called counter-revolution."
Lee continued, "They say reform is like peeling off skin. In some respects, changing how a society transforms and develops is harder than changing an individual's way of life," explaining, "because interests are at stake. When you try to change a system, there are people who benefited from the old one." He analyzed that "to create new change, you have to endure and go beyond the resistance of vested interests and the pain of existing stakeholders before you can finally build a new order."
Likening the method of reform to administering an injection, Lee said, "It's like giving a shot — when it hurts, you offer comfort and take some time, and that way the shot hurts less. But if you say, 'You absolutely must take this. If you don't, you'll die,' and point fingers and say, 'You're the bad one,' then resistance and backlash grow too large."
Lee added, "Then not only is it not easy to achieve the goal, but even when you do achieve it, the sacrifice is great. The losses are great," saying, "so it is my view that we need to approach things a bit more pragmatically and effectively."
Lee also explained reform using recent examples such as the expansion of medical school admissions. "Health and Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong persuaded people well and approached it well, and pulled off the increase in medical school admissions without major friction — of course, there was no lack of complaints from the medical community, but she managed those well," he said, adding, "The SRT-KTX integration issue handled by the Land Minister is not an easy one either." He urged that "by humbly minimizing the pain of many people and minimizing backlash while producing results, and building on that, further change and reform become possible."
