Dear LOGODI alumni,

End of the year 2021 is just around the corner. You may be one of the people who have had a hard time due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has been going on since last year. In order to design and implement various measures to cope with the pandemic, and to fulfill your job responsibility through non-face-to-face remote communicatiom, you have probably experienced significant obstacles to overcome would like to express my sincere gratitude and respect to all of you who have strived to combat against coronaviirus. In this respect, it was rather disappointing that I had no choice but to meet some of you only online this year following the last year. However, on the other hand, I think it is fortunate that I was at least able to meet you online.

In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic offers many important implications for us. First, the COVID-19 pandemic reveals a flaw of the globalization. Paradoxically, the rapid spread of the coronavirus to every corner of the world reminds us that all countries are closely connected with each other.

Second, the emergence of several recent COVID-19 variants indicates that cooperation among countries is very important to cope with this pandemic. It makes us realize that the vaccination policy centered on its own people has only limited effects and that humanity-based multinational cooperation is necessary to defeat this unprecedented disease.

Third, this pandemic suggests us that the role of the government will become more important in the future. Individual governments have expanded their functional scope of governing to cope with COVID-19, and they will play a more critical role to handle various problems caused by the upcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution as well.

Experts suggest that modern human history will be viewed as split into before and after the COVID-19. In other words, the future world will develop in a completely different way from the past. In a sense, we are all already at the threshold of a new era. The COVID-19 will turn into a sort of influenza sooner or later, as every flow has its ebb. However, something new may come next. We are living in an unprecedented and yet unpredictable time.

In order to successfully survive in this new era, we need to equip ourselves with new capacities. In particular, this is imperative for the government officers, because it is the government officers like you who need to support the country and provide the necessary services to the people in critical periods of national crises such as war, and the spread of infectious diseases, etc.

Fortunately, we are learning to adapt to the new era through the past two years of struggle. The government officers, have been at the forefront of such an adaptation process. We are recognizing many things that we have not thought of before through the COVID-19 pandemic and experiencing advancement. This year was difficult, but we grew that much, and as much as we grew, we gained strength to move forward. As long as you take the lead in responding to a new situation, a bright sunshine will open the way for your people.

Let us wrap up this year with the hope that we will be able to exit from the darkness of the coronavirus, and that we will all get together soon in person face-to-face.

I wish you all, a joyful holiday season, and happy new year!