President Lee Jae-myung said, “If we do not eradicate corruption in the public sector, all achievements will be castles in the sand.”

“If the public sector fails to secure public trust, all achievements will become ‘castles on the sand.’”

“It’s a shame to be ranked 31st in terms of integrity… We need to correct the parts that were turned a blind eye under the excuse of past practices.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lim Hyeong-seop = President Lee Jae-myung said on the 21st, "Things have improved a lot, but we still need to take a good look at the remaining corruption in the political world and clean it up."

President Lee mentioned this in his opening remarks at the 1st Anti-Corruption Policy Council held at the Blue House on this day and asked, “Please unwaveringly pursue (corruption eradication policy) until our people feel, ‘Now things have really changed.’”

In particular, President Lee said, “There cannot be a ruling or opposition party or ‘my side and your side’ when it comes to eliminating corruption,” and ordered, “It is necessary to organize it fairly and strictly without exception with clear principles.”

President Lee also emphasized the need to eradicate corruption in public service.

President Lee said, "The economic status of the Republic of Korea has greatly improved, but no matter how spectacular the economic indicators are, if the government and public officials do not secure the public's trust, all these achievements can easily collapse like a castle on sand. We must first set the principles and standards straight and establish a responsible attitude."

He continued, "As of 2025, Korea's integrity is said to be 31st out of 182 countries. It is a bit shameful that all other fields are in the top 10, but only 31st in integrity."

In addition, he said, "As the size of the economy and national power grow, more stringent standards are applied to the transparency of the public sector and the integrity of the public service," and urged, "The public's expectations are rising, but we must carefully examine whether there are any areas that have been turned a blind eye under the excuse that 'this has happened in the past' or 'this is a practice of the past,' and if so, they must be immediately corrected."

At the same time, President Lee called for efforts to eradicate corruption in the private sector, including interference by indigenous forces with their own interests.

President Lee said, "Establishing the principles of fairness and justice in our society is not something that will end in one or two years. It goes without saying that continuous and constant efforts are needed," and instructed, "Relevant ministries should begin their work anew with the determination to meet the expectations of the people."

Finally, President Lee reflected, "The international community has a very high opinion of the political capabilities of the Republic of Korea. Although we experienced difficulties for a while, we restored democratic constitutional order through the power of the people without shedding a single drop of blood or violence."

At the same time, he encouraged, "If we are to advance toward becoming an irreplaceable Republic of Korea, the domestic order itself must be fair. This is the core goal of our anti-corruption policy, so please do your best with a high sense of duty."