Reform doesn't happen on its own, Lee says, urging public action

President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday made a forceful appeal to supporters and the public for active participation and everyday civic action, saying that electing a new president does not automatically bring about the reform needed to build a better society.

In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee said people should not feel let down if the mainstream media ignores an issue or a trusted YouTube channel fails to cover it. "Making a better world is something we must take on ourselves — and something we are fully capable of taking on," he wrote.

He said the presidency is not a seat of power to be enjoyed or wielded over others. "It is a heavy post of unlimited responsibility — one that demands we keep every promise made to the people and every pledge we made to ourselves," he said.

Lee said democracy is neither created nor preserved on its own, and the same is true of reform. "Impeaching an anti-people president and electing a new one does not mean reform happens by itself," he said. "Impeachment only stopped the regression and decline. Electing a new president is not the end of reform — it is barely the beginning."

He said reform requires momentum, and that momentum must come from the people. "It is hard to expect those who treat reform as a vehicle for personal gain, or groups that stand to lose their privileges through reform, to support the reform agenda or those driving it," he said.

Invoking a well-known saying attributed to the late former President Kim Dae-jung — "A conscience that does not act is on the side of evil" — Lee said that everyday acts of civic engagement are just as vital as the physical courage shown by those who faced down martial law troops and armored vehicles. Posting a comment, sending a message, making a phone call, sharing a social media post to spread facts that the media ignores or online creators distort, or simply clicking "like" on someone else's article or comment — all of these, he said, "are necessary and important acts of building the world we wanted, right in that moment."

Lee urged supporters to respond to lies, abuse and smears with confident but dignified, reasoned criticism. "Once things descend into a 'dirty' brawl, it no longer matters who started it — and there are forces deliberately trying to drag us into that kind of gutter fight," he said. He added that even if opponents resort to low tactics, "we should carry ourselves with integrity, because they fight for private gain while we are warriors of light fighting for a better future for the nation and a better life for the people."

He closed by saying he cannot do it alone and that public attention and encouragement — and particularly the participation and action of his supporters — are indispensable. "I trust you will be with me," he added.