Lee Jae-myung seeks grassroots input on Cabinet picks

Korea Herald

5 days ago

President Lee Jae-myung's Cabinet is now in the making, and his office has introduced the so-called "public referral system," which takes recommendations for public offices from ordinary citizens.
Calling it a move aimed at getting citizens involved in the president's personnel nominations, Lee's office said it will be taking recommendations for Cabinet ministers, vice ministers and the heads of state-run institutions from Tuesday until June 16. Recommendations can be sent to the official website run by the Ministry of Personnel Management, President Lee's official social media accounts, and by email.
Citizens are to fill in a candidate's area of specialty; the candidate's personal information, such as name, gender, phone number or workplace; a reason why they recommend the candidate; and the information of the recommenders themselves. A self-recommendation is also an option.
"True democracy begins when citizens exercise their sovereignty, get involved and make a change," Lee said in his Facebook post Tuesday.
No specific restrictions exist for South Korean citizens aged 14 or older submitting a recommendation for a nomination, said Lee's spokesperson Kang Yu-jung in a briefing.
Lee's office will collect data about the candidates submitted to the National Human Resources Database and proceed with a vetting process to shortlist candidates. The presidential secretary for civil service discipline will participate in the vetting process, which would also involve an "open" review, Kang added.
The presidential office has not elaborated on whether the number of recommendations a candidate receives could affect the president's decision-making process in his nominations.
Grassroots recommendations for public office holders was one of the presidential campaign pledges Lee unveiled during his press conference in late May.
So far, Lee has not made any presidential nominations for the Cabinet, excluding prime minister nominee Rep. Kim Min-seok, and is currently working with ministers appointed by disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Kim, the prime minister nominee, said in a news conference Tuesday that the introduction of a system allowing grassroots recommendations for minister posts is a "very natural process in that democracy is in the process of expanding."
It was the latest move by the liberal president to get ordinary people involved in his decision-making process, as his administration has described itself as "the government of popular sovereignty."
Earlier on Sunday, Lee revealed via posts on social platform X that a recent announcement of plans to live-broadcast reporters asking questions to officials of the presidential office during briefings was based on "a proposal he received through a reply to his social media."
He then added on the X post, "We always take note of the various opinions of our citizens (online), as they often carry realistic ideas and suggest ways for a practical improvement."