President Moon Jae-in on Thursday broke the mold of the top presidential secretariat meeting, telling his aides to stop wasting time taking notes and feel free to challenge his views on state affairs.
Presiding over a meeting of his senior secretaries for the first time, Moon pointed out that it is their "duty" to oppose his views if need be -- remarks that set the mood for a free-wheeling debate in future meetings.
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This photo, taken on May 24, 2017, shows President Moon Jae-in speaking about his government`s job creation efforts at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
The regular meeting of chief presidential secretaries has hitherto been seen as a venue for a head of state to impose his or her own views upon secretaries, who strictly toe the presidential line.
"It is (your) duty to raise objections to the president's directives," Moon said during the meeting attended by 18 presidential officials, including his chief of staff, national security adviser and policy chief.
"The meeting of chief secretaries or aides is not a venue for the president to just deliver his directives. ... It is in principle a place to communicate with one another and share (different ideas among all of us)," he added,
The president also said that he wants to convene the meeting of top secretaries every Monday and Thursday. He, in addition, directed the participants to use laptop computers rather than wasting paper during future meetings.
Tuesday's meeting was arranged as the liberal president is striving to swiftly round out his government and carry out his campaign pledges, such as creating jobs in the public sector, strengthening ties with major powers, including its ally the United States, and defusing cross-border tensions.
Moon took office on May 10, hours after the election watchdog confirmed his landslide victory in the rare presidential by-election triggered by the March 10 ouster of his scandal-hit predecessor, Park Geun-hye. (Yonhap)
