Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on Monday awarded civil servants of his office selected for outstanding performance, gifting them with commemorative plates to symbolize his “plate theory.”

The plates were given to a number of officials within the Prime Minister’s Office for proactive administration.

Recipients include the COVID-19 response team and officials who developed ideas for enabling the public to attend religious services while maintaining social distancing -- via online and drive-in services -- and those who played a central role in resolving issues surrounding one-year passports.

Passports valid for one year are issued to men over the age of 25 who have not carried out their mandatory national service, meaning they are not recognized by 43 countries, including France.

The term “plate theory” was coined following Chung’s inauguration speech earlier this year in which he compared making mistakes to breaking plates to emphasize that civil service must be proactive.

In the speech, Chung said that “breaking a plate in the process of working can be accepted, but plates gathering dust because no work is being done cannot.”

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the award will be expanded to include those outside of the Prime Minister’s Office, local governments and state-run organizations to reward officials. Chung has also called on government bodies to reward civil servants who meet the “proactive administration” criteria through promotions and other measures.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)