President Moon: "Concerns Over Community Transmission of Novel Coronavirus... Extraordinary Cabinet Response Needed"

President Moon Jaein is receiving a report on power institution reforms from Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, and Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young at the Yeomin Building of the Blue House on the morning of the 31st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy, reporter Son Sunhee] On January 31, President Moon Jaein addressed the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia), stating, "Additional confirmed cases and secondary infections have occurred, and there are concerns about community transmission," and urged, "An extraordinary response from the Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, is necessary." On this day, four additional confirmed cases were reported in Korea, bringing the total to 11.

Han Jeongwoo, Deputy Spokesperson for the Blue House, said during a briefing at the Chunchugwan press center that President Moon made these remarks earlier while receiving a report on the 'Follow-up Measures for Power Institution Reform.' He added, "The President's schedule will also be adjusted in line with the response to the novel coronavirus." As the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency and the coronavirus situation worsened, President Moon expressed a heightened sense of seriousness and again emphasized the importance of quarantine measures.

President Moon also commented on the follow-up measures for power institution reform announced earlier that morning, saying, "Regarding the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) Act and the legislation adjusting the investigative authority between prosecutors and police, I hope you will complete the process by strengthening and coordinating the system through enforcement decrees, investigative guidelines, and organizational restructuring."

The report took place at 11 a.m. at the Blue House, attended by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, and Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young. President Moon stated, "The difficult work begins now," and added, "I hope the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will cooperate closely, and I ask Prime Minister Chung to oversee the overall management."

In particular, President Moon emphasized, "The goal of power institution reform must be, above all, for the people," highlighting the importance of "the democratic distribution of power, checks and balances." He further stated, "Because the prosecution failed to correct its own wrongdoings in the past, the significance of the CIO is very great," and added, "When exercising its authority, the CIO must serve as a model for 'how to investigate and how to disclose information,' and efforts should be made to spread this model."

Finally, he said, "The public's concern is whether the state's investigative capabilities will be weakened," and requested, "Alongside democratic reform, please ensure that investigative functions are not diminished and that the overall capacity of investigative agencies does not decrease by firmly establishing principles and implementing follow-up measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.