What did President Lee Jae Myung say about reforms during his meeting at Cheong Wa Dae?

Lee said uninterrupted reforms are needed to root out rule-breaking and unfairness and keep the nation on a path to continued development. He argued that public trust rises when reforms strengthen solidarity and correct harmful abnormalities.

Why did Lee Jae Myung say uninterrupted reforms were necessary?

He said no policy can be effective if the public thinks it is more beneficial to break the rules than to keep them. He linked reforms to correcting unfairness and abnormalities that burden people’s daily lives.

What crimes did Lee Jae Myung say should be targeted more aggressively?

He singled out acts disrupting the economic order, including cornering the market, collusion and stock price manipulation. He also mentioned digital sex crimes, drugs, serious accidents and public-sector corruption as areas needing particular attention.

Lee calls for uninterrupted reforms for continued nat'l development

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that uninterrupted reforms are needed in Cheong Wa Dae to root out rule-breaking and unfairness and support continued national development. He said no policy works if people think breaking rules is more beneficial than following them. Lee cited a task force that significantly reduced voice phishing crimes and urged stronger action on market rigging, collusion, stock price manipulation, digital sex crimes, drugs, serious accidents and public-sector corruption.

Key Facts

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday.
He said the reforms should correct rule-breaking, unfairness and abnormalities that weigh heavily on people’s lives.
He cited an interagency task force as having significantly reduced the number of voice phishing crimes.
Lee called for particular attention to cornering the market, collusion and stock price manipulation.
He also highlighted digital sex crimes, drugs, serious accidents and public-sector corruption as offenses affecting people’s lives.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 20, 2026 4:33 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, presides over a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that "uninterrupted reforms" are needed to root out rule-breaking and unfairness and set the nation on a path to continued development.

Lee made the remark during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, saying no policy can be effective if the public perceives it to be more beneficial to break the rules than to keep them.

"That is why it is ever more necessary to pursue uninterrupted reforms that correct the rule-breaking, unfairness and abnormalities that weigh heavily on the lives of the people," he said.

"If by doing so, the solidarity and trust of the community as a whole can be strengthened, the path to an irreplaceable Republic of Korea will also become more solid," he added, referring to the newly minted slogan for his administration.

As an example of tangible change, Lee cited the work of an interagency task force that helped significantly reduce the number of voice phishing crimes.

He called for particular attention to acts disrupting the economic order, such as cornering the market, collusion and stock price manipulation, and other offenses impacting people's lives, such as digital sex crimes, drugs, serious accidents and public-sector corruption.

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