The administration of President Lee Jae-myung has adopted the slogan "The Path of Great Transformation Created by the People, A Year of Recovery and Leap for All" to mark its first anniversary.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday issued operational guidelines instructing central government ministries to use the new slogan when distributing press releases. The slogan reads "The Path of Great Transformation Created by the People" and features a red arrow pointing upward. Inside the arrow, in small letters, are the words "Recovery and Leap, A Year for All."
According to the ministry, "The Path of Great Transformation Created by the People" conveys the meaning that the government has, together with the people as the sovereign of the Republic of Korea, created leaping change over the past year. The arrow, the ministry explained, expresses a pledge to build a great transformation toward the future alongside the people.
"As the Lee Jae-myung government marks its first year, each ministry has achievements, and the intent is to use a new slogan suited to them," a ministry official said. "It will be inserted into press releases distributed through July 3." The strategy is interpreted as an effort to deliver a unified publicity message through the slogan, as ministries intensively release performance materials by sector to mark the government's first anniversary.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance used the new slogan the same day in a press release announcing the "Core Economic Achievements of the People's Sovereignty Government's First Year." The ministry said, "The Korean economy has succeeded in a V-shaped rebound from last year's martial law shock and is accelerating its growth momentum," adding, "In particular, the first-quarter quarter-on-quarter growth rate of 1.7% ranks first among major OECD countries announced so far." The ministry said, "We will continue to work, centered on the principles of 'pragmatism and performance,' to rebound the potential growth rate through an economic great transformation and to share the fruits of growth with the people."
Among experts, some point out that restructuring across the broader economic structure is needed to sustain the first-year achievements. They note that much of the current economic performance is owed to a semiconductor super cycle that has exceeded expectations, and that the great transformation has not yet been completed. There are also voices saying that surgery must be undertaken over the next two to three years while the Korean economy still has the strength to do so.
Meanwhile, the government has inserted slogans into press releases on the occasion of important national anniversaries or international events. Around Liberation Day last August, which marked its 80th anniversary, ministries displayed "Shining Steps, A New Path." As the emblem of the committee promoting the 80th anniversary of national liberation, it expressed the aspiration to inherit the great capabilities of the Republic of Korea and build an entirely new country.
In October of the same year, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Gyeongju, the government inserted "APEC 2025 KOREA" into press releases along with an emblem depicting a face-patterned roof-end tile (a roof tile relic) known as the "Smile of a Thousand Years." This was meant to pledge a successful hosting of APEC and draw national interest.
