Whenever I watch TV news and see President Yoon Suk Yeol's main desk at his Yongsan office, I pay attention to the plaque bearing the phrase "The buck stops here." Later, I was informed that it was a gift presented by U.S. President Joe Biden during Yoon's official visit to the White House. The phrase means to take complete responsibility. When a leader stands up and upholds accountability, the integrity and humility involved in the process can persuade the public and the nation.

I understand that the phrase is an idea that was popularized by the 33rd U.S. President Harry Truman on Oct.2, 1945. He kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office. It refers to the notion that Truman had to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. As a matter of fact, Truman made many dramatic and historical decisions during his term, such as the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, the dispatch of United Nations troops to the Korean War and the Berlin Airlift during the Cold War.

Firstly, I, as an ordinary Korean citizen, wonder about President Yoon Suk Yeol's indecisive handling of the nation's controversial, pending irregularities that allegedly involve high-profile political and leading figures.

Why have adequate legal actions not been taken against them? Why have they been so slow and unresolved as of yet?

Secondly, it is widely known that there had been increasing number of people wrongly receiving benefits relating to the May 18 Democracy Movement that took place in Gwangju in 1980. A huge amount of Korean taxpayers' money has been disbursed for those people's interest, in addition to unfair privileges and immunities for them. Why should opening this information to the public in detail be kept as an ambiguous secret?

Thirdly, the April 10 general elections handed the ruling bloc a crushing defeat. Is there an ongoing review of the causes for the defeat other than documenting through a party white book just who should be held accountable for the loss?

Additionally, precious national budget collected from domestic taxpayers' pockets should be spent accountably without wasting money on mere political populism purposes. Was such spending designed for the future generations or in anticipation of unpredictable worldwide climate changes or natural disasters?

At this juncture in our bleak political arena, I want to ask the president to bring his A game to rightly and soundly carry out long-sighted, future-oriented policies. He needs to know how to exercise his presidential authority appropriately and deal with political attacks from the large opposition bloc.

Being accountable as the chief executive, the president should be in a position of authority over the nation and has a duty to make sure that critical and important matters are governed rightly under the banner of common sense, law, order and justice. Our national interest lies in maintaining Korea's free democracy and market economy.

The writer (wkexim@naver.com) is a freelance columnist living in Seoul. The views expressed in the above article are the author’s own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.