Distinguished citizens and public officials across the country:

Today, as I am taking office as the 43^rd Prime Minister, I feel immense responsibility for the country and people, rather than personal pride and happiness.

First, I want to thank the President, members of the National Assembly who supported me during confirmation hearings, and citizens who supported me over the years.

The confirmation hearings gave an opportunity for me to reflect my 40 years of public service and think about citizens’ expectations of the Prime Minister position and what needs to be done for citizens.

Public officials across the country: as Prime Minister, I am above all determined to revitalize the economy. Today, our economic situation is getting worse.

The long global recession has threatened the livelihood of many citizens including businessmen and women of small and medium-sized enterprises, people running small stores, and those working on farms and in fisheries.

The most important area for the government is to obtain visible results from the successful implementation of the Economic Reform Three Year Plan. In addition, I will help strengthen our effort to pursue regulatory reforms in the four major fields: public sector, labor, banking and financing, and education. In doing so, I will help stimulate the engine of economic growth and strengthen national competitiveness.

The Park Geun-hye administration is entering its 3^rd year this year, and this is an important period to prepare for the taking-off of our economy. I am determined that stimulation of the economy will overcome difficulties and challenges we are facing around the country.

Next, I will take a leading role in facilitating communication and integration among citizens. Conversation, compromise, cooperation, and win-win culture are the most important values for mature democracy; they are the very sources for a unified country. Thus, what we need above all is “communication” with citizens.

I believe that “there is no one above citizens” and will make every effort to listen to and communicate with citizens from the perspective of the citizens.

I will also help strengthen communication with the National Assembly which represents people’s voices and will. I will work closely and actively with the government party in discussing urgent national issues from the policy planning stage. In particular, I will work and communicate closely with the opposition party.

When I was the floor leader of the Saenuri Party, I considered the opposition party as an important partner. I will do the same as Prime Minister to ensure that this government works together with the opposition party.

Additionally, I consider it important to facilitate communication within the government. I believe that there should be no barrier to separate government agencies and that they need to work as one team. As Prime Minister to oversee the cabinet, I will actively coordinate policies of government agencies.

Another important role of Prime Minister is to ensure social unity and integration. I will ensure that the government will maintain a non-biased, but rather a balanced approach toward everything we do and that I will share in the happiness and sadness of our citizens by being with them all the time.

I am also determined to build the firm foundation for the reforming of the country through changes and reforms. This requires that the government itself changes first.

I have ultimate confidence in our public officials. I know more than anyone that our public officials have been the ones who have led national development and helped overcome many challenges and crises along the way. I have no doubt that precious experiences, abilities, and responsibilities of our public officials will drive the future of our country.

I will actively create conditions in which our public officials can work for people and the country with passion and pride.

Conversely, demands of our citizens are more rigorous and heavier than ever before. Our citizens demand that we, as public officials, reform and reinvent ourselves.

Government reform starts from the establishment of government integrity. In this sense, I will spare no effort to punish public officials engaged in corruption and abuse. 

Staining government integrity for personal gain will never be acceptable, and I hope that high-ranking officials such as ministers, deputy ministers, and heads of public agencies will take the initiative and set examples for other rank-and-file officials to follow.

I will exercise every authority given to me as Prime Minister to help establish government integrity.

Distinguished citizens and public officials across the country: we have written unprecedented success stories despite numerous challenges in our history.

With the mindset that this will be my last public position to serve the country, I will do everything to fulfill powers and responsibilities of Prime Minister specified by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea as well as other laws.

I ask our public officials to give passionate efforts to what the government tries to accomplish and our citizens to offer firm support to us.

Thank you very much.