Image to help understand the article
Lee says political change requires daily action
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung urged citizens to take an active role in advancing political reform, arguing that electing a new leader alone would not bring lasting change.
In a post on X on the 27th, Lee said a society without unfair privilege could be achieved only when people who genuinely wanted it acted on those beliefs. “Participation and small acts of practice create a reformed society,” he wrote.
Lee said the impeachment of a president he described as acting against the public interest had prevented further democratic decline, while the election of a new president marked the beginning of reform rather than its conclusion. The momentum for change, he added, must come from the public because people who benefit from established interests cannot be expected to support efforts that threaten those advantages.
Warning against manipulation and misinformation
Quoting former President Kim Dae-jung’s well-known statement that “a conscience that does not act is on the side of evil,” Lee warned that a small but organized and active minority can exert control over a larger, well-intentioned but divided majority.
He urged citizens to seek information independently and think critically rather than follow what they are given without question. Lee said everyday digital actions — posting comments, sending messages, making calls, sharing information on social media or simply clicking “like” — could help circulate facts that he said traditional media may overlook or online creators may distort.
Lee contrasted those routine acts with the far greater risks taken by people who confronted martial law troops, guns and armored vehicles, but said both forms of participation were important to building the society citizens wanted.
A call for civil political debate
Lee also urged supporters not to be drawn into deliberately degrading political fights. False claims, abusive language and personal attacks should be answered with confident, rational and dignified criticism, he said, so the public could judge the conduct of each side.
Calling his supporters “warriors of light” working for the country’s future and better lives for its people, Lee asked for continued public attention, encouragement and participation, including from those he referred to as “friends of the president.”
Comments
Post a Comment