Will the next health-welfare minister be picked by 'people's recommendation' as President Lee suggested?

As President Lee Jae-myung's cabinet is being formed, it is noteworthy that the government has begun implementing a “people's recommendation system” to directly nominate candidates for public positions, including ministers and vice ministers of health and welfare.

Appointing ministerial candidates without the prime minister, who can propose cabinet members, takes time. The government aims to publicize the national philosophy of the people's government and increase people's sense of political utility.

True democracy starts with the people becoming owners, directly participating and leading change,” President Lee said in a poster for the public recommendation system on his Facebook page on Monday. “I want you to choose the people who will lead the real Korea. We will open the door to a ‘people's government’ together with the public.”

“The People's Recommendation System will be a meaningful first step beyond a change in the personnel process to allow the people to take the lead in running the country,” Lee said. “Please provide an opportunity for hidden talents from all walks of life who have been silently dedicating themselves to the country and competent people ready to work for the people to take on new leadership.”

The People's Nomination System is a personnel recommendation system that allows the public to nominate people for key presidentially appointed positions, including ministers, vice ministers, and heads of public institutions. To participate, people can leave a recommendation on the National Recommendation System website operated by the Ministry of Personnel and Innovation following Monday or send a message or letter to President Lee's official social networking service (SNS) account or email.

When making a recommendation, they must select the name of the organization and position they wish to nominate. They must write the nominee's name, gender, date of birth, phone number, workplace name, education and experience, and reason for the recommendation. The participants should also include the names and contact information of their references. The information will be entered into the National Talent Database. It will be verified by the Office of the Secretary of Public Service and Discipline for appointments to key positions.

“We will do our utmost to ensure that all processes are transparently disclosed and fairly verified so that genuine talents that meet the people's expectations can be selected,” the President said. “We ask the people to gather their diverse experiences and perspectives so that they can be reflected in national affairs. I look forward to the new history of the sovereign government that we will write together.”

However, there are concerns that the sporadic channels for recommending talents make it difficult to collect information, and the criteria for recommending talents are not clear, so it may be just an “event” far from using reliable information.

“There are welcome opinions about the national recommendation system, but we are also aware of concerns,” a Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) official told Korea Biomedical Review over the phone. “As we receive recommendations through various channels, the amount of information will be considerable, but we are pushing forward in anticipation.”

The official said it would inevitably take a long time to appoint ministers and vice ministers, as the approval of the prime minister, who has the power to propose cabinet members, has not been finalized.

“This is a way to take advantage of the time to use the collective intelligence of the people and inspire a sense of political utility through direct participation,” he said. “The talent information recommended by the deadline will be verified and used later.”