President Lee holds a free discussion with Cheong Wa Dae secretaries
I will brief you on what was discussed this morning in the first extended meeting of presidential secretaries, which was presided over by President Lee Myung-bak.
The secretaries’ meeting lasted for an hour and half from 10:00 in the morning. It was quite a long meeting. One interesting thing about the meeting was the fact that Vice-spokesperson Kim Eun-hye, who used to be an MBC news anchorwoman, emceed the meeting and the atmosphere was like a panel discussion in the studio of a TV station.
Throughout the meeting, the participants engaged in a free discussion. Some participants burst into laughter from time to time and some secretaries made quite candid and outspoken suggestions.
After some presentations, the participants began their discussion. A secretary for the economic affairs said, “The economy is psychology…There is a report that says if investors’ sentiment increases 10 percent, real investment will rise 3 percent.” The secretary also made a proposal by saying, “We need an inspiring message to give to the public as well as the President’s leadership that will encourage the people and businesses to help boost the economy.”
With regard to the ROTC commissioning ceremony, the graduating cadets were seated, while as much of the unnecessary protocol and decorations as possible were eliminated. President Lee remarked, “It looked unseemly in the past when cadets remained standing while only invited guests were seated on the platform. It seems that the media has positively assessed the move as a small but big change.”
In this regard, the table usually placed in front of the President and the First Lady at various previous ceremonies is to be taken away for the March First Independence Movement Day ceremony. The President and First Lady will be seated in the same row as the patriots who committed themselves to the nation’s independence. This sort of seating arrangement was adopted for the ROTC commissioning ceremony held on February 28.
For his part, President Lee said, “Changes should take hold like water that seeps into the ground. Enforced instructions and commands will not be effective.” The President went on to say that the Korea Military Academy by itself would deliberate over how it will proceed with the commencement to be held in early March.
Recollecting an episode regarding a bid for the construction of the Penang Bridge in Malaysia in 1982, President Lee said, “At the very beginning of the bidding, our company ranked third. But, my company came from behind to win the bid in the end. I was so grateful to the Malaysian Government that I prepared for the groundbreaking ceremony at a level equivalent to presidential protocol, for instance, by putting a big chair on the platform. To my surprise, a Malaysian government official ordered me to replace the big chair with the same one as other participants, saying that the buttocks of the Prime Minister are not that big. As the sun was so strong that day, we pitched a tent only for Prime Minister Mahathir. Then the Malaysian official instructed us to remove the tent or to strike tents to accommodate all 5,000 participants. Following moments of deliberation, we pitched enough tents for 5,000 people overnight, which surprised the Prime Minister. And he said that this showed the very strength of Korean businesses and that the Malaysians should learn lessons from Korean businesses and hard-working people.”
The gist of the President’s remarks is that changes and innovations can take place only when one personally sets an example and puts it into practice.
Another secretary suggested that more and more secretaries remove the dividers in their offices, especially when their tasks are related to each other. The President said, “That is a good idea. I find there is much room for improvement for increasing efficiency here at Cheong Wa Dae. In one conference room, I saw a table that looked like furniture from ancient Rome. Everything should be able to be used in a practical and versatile way.”
Bahk Jae-wan, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, said, “As reported in the news media, Cheong Wa Dae staff members have decided not to use an additional honorific like “nim” at the end of the names of President Lee Myung-bak and First Lady Kim Yoon-ok unless they are addressing the Presidential couple directly.” So the First Lady will be referred to as Kim Yoon-ok “Yeosa,” which can be translated as “Madam.” “That sounds reasonable. We do not need too many formalities,” responded the President.
Yu Woo-ik, the Chief of Staff, who accompanies the President, said, “The President sleeps only four hours or so every day. I recommend that he take holidays and vacations so he would be refreshed during non-working days. I hope the personal secretaries and other secretaries would cooperate so the President would be able to return to his residence after working hours.” The President just smiled and did not say anything.
The President said, “As we start working at Cheong Wa Dae, there are too many things to attend to. In time, we should be able to have a normal work schedule. I am just glad that this first meeting was conducted very well in a good atmosphere. I hope you will be able to loosen up a little bit and take care of your work well.”
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2008년 8월 6일 17:22
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2008년 7월 9일 16:12