"First, stay on top of the field. Second, manage risks in advance. Third, be more transparent. Fourth, make things happen (speed matters). Fifth, understand perspectives and principles." At the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Ministry of Employment and Labor briefing on December 11 last year—the first cabinet briefing broadcast live to the nation—Prime Minister Kim Min-seok summarized President Lee Jae-myung's directives this way, emphasizing that "the next six months will be a watershed for the public sector. Next year is the time to run."
President Lee's governance style over the past several months reflects this approach. At ministry briefings, he has grilled ministers, vice ministers, and agency heads with detailed facts, exposing blind spots and leaving them sweating. Beyond official meetings, he has been driving policy issues daily on X (formerly Twitter). His reach spans consumer price collusion on sanitary pads and flour, real estate, school uniforms, gasoline prices, judicial reform, and basic pensions. When ordering a supplementary budget, he demanded speed, saying "work through the night if necessary."
President Lee has earned the label "iljaller"—someone who gets things done. Since his days as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor, he built a reputation for resolving chronic complaints and processing work quickly, earning praise as a "refreshing" leader. Less than a year into his presidency, he is demonstrating his trademark execution as the nation's top decision-maker. The highlight was listing his single home for sale to signal his commitment to normalizing the real estate market. Surging gasoline prices dropped overnight after he introduced the "petroleum maximum price system" for the first time in 30 years.
These results are reflected in rising approval ratings. Even accounting for the early-term honeymoon effect, his approval exceeds 60% across various polls. Recently, support has notably expanded beyond the Democratic Party's traditional base into conservative-leaning regions and age groups. Even considering that the main opposition party remains mired in internal strife without presenting clear alternatives, it is hard to deny that public perception of a government "moving quickly" is translating into higher ratings.
Yet some voices express fatigue over the "smart and diligent" boss's hands-on management style and relentless pace, saying "it's making us dizzy." As meticulous directives pile up, bureaucrats inevitably focus on watching the president's every word rather than taking initiative. When the president personally sets the agenda and bureaucrats move in lockstep, results come quickly. But sustainable governance requires the strength of the entire system, not just one person. If the president tries to oversee everything, decision fatigue accumulates and could create bottlenecks in the latter half of his term.
Real tests await the president who "gets things done." Complex crises are intensifying—U.S. tariff waves followed by geopolitical risks from the Middle East. External variables like high interest rates, a weak won, and elevated oil prices cannot be defended with short-term fixes like price controls alone. They constitute complex equations. Challenges abound: regional extinction from low birth rates and aging, industrial restructuring, and more. The real game has just begun.
While maintaining his strength in execution, President Lee must now evolve his governance approach to the next level. He should delegate authority and responsibility for issues that ministries can resolve to ministers and vice ministers, freeing himself to focus on the bigger picture of national long-term planning. Structural reforms in labor, education, and pensions—areas no previous administration has easily tackled—are prime examples. These are generational tasks that must be addressed beyond partisan lines.
Past administrations' reform agendas were not completed through short-term speed alone: the Kim Young-sam government's real-name financial system, the Kim Dae-jung government's exit of insolvent companies and labor market flexibility, the Roh Moo-hyun government's Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the Lee Myung-bak government's public institution reform, and the Park Geun-hye government's civil servant pension reform. All were achieved by persuading the public while overcoming resistance from supporters and vested interests.
President Lee recently took a cautious stance on judicial reform pushed by ruling party hardliners, saying "Reform is harder than revolution" and "If you loudly proclaim reforms, it's difficult to actually deliver results." He is right on both counts. This applies beyond judicial reform. Impatience ruins everything. Reforms face fierce headwinds. How one turns headwinds into tailwinds determines reform outcomes. It is time for President Lee to prove his real capabilities.