Prime Minister Jeong Marks 100 Days in Office, Launches 'Thursday Dialogue'... Experimenting with Swedish-Style 'Co-Governance'

Dialogue with Various Sectors Including Politics, Economy, and Society... Attention on Whether a Cooperative Cabinet Will Materialize

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, who will mark his 100th day in office on the 22nd, will begin direct dialogues with various sectors of politics, economy, and society starting this week. This is a full-scale introduction of the Swedish dialogue model 'Thursday Club,' which he mentioned during the parliamentary confirmation hearing in January. Upon taking office, Prime Minister Chung presented three key words: 'economy,' 'cooperation,' and 'fairness.' He promised to create a business-friendly environment to revitalize the economy, achieve social integration through cooperation, and improve unfairness and inequality in various social fields. However, immediately after his inauguration, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) forced him to postpone all other activities and focus on measures to prevent infection as a 'control tower.' Recently, as the spread of COVID-19 has subsided, Prime Minister Chung is expected to actively demonstrate his role as a 'responsible prime minister.' In particular, since he expressed his intention to actively propose to President Moon Jae-in the formation of a cooperative cabinet involving various political parties after the 21st general election, attention is focused on whether this will materialize.

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat on the 20th, Prime Minister Chung plans to hold a Thursday dialogue on the afternoon of the 23rd at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Seoul, inviting senior figures from society. The topic will be 'Post Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19),' discussing the shocks and systemic changes brought about by COVID-19. Participants will include former Bank of Korea Governor Park Seung, Seoul National University Professor Emeritus Yoon Young-kwan, and Sung Kyung-ryung, Chairman of the Economic and Social Research Council under the Prime Minister’s office.

Former Governor Park is a respected economic elder recognized by both progressives and conservatives, having served under multiple administrations. During the Chun Doo-hwan government, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Committee; under the Roh Tae-woo administration, he served as Presidential Economic Secretary and Minister of Construction (now Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport); during the Kim Young-sam government, he was Chairman of the Korea Housing Corporation; and under the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun governments, he served as Governor of the Bank of Korea, participating directly or indirectly in national affairs. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, he also served as chairman of the advisory committee for Moon’s think tank, helping to design economic policies. Professor Emeritus Yoon is an expert in diplomacy and security, combining practical experience and theory. He was appointed as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.

The Thursday dialogues on the post-COVID-19 theme will be held six times in total, covering general discussions on changes after COVID-19 as well as specific topics such as health and culture.

A Prime Minister’s Office official said, "Since social conflicts and shocks are expected after COVID-19, the purpose is to prepare for these," adding, "We expect to derive tasks to be promoted by synthesizing the discussions from the Thursday dialogues."

Sweden’s Thursday Club is a model devised by Tage Erlander, former Prime Minister of Sweden (in office 1946?1969), who was successful in holding weekly dialogues with the public for 23 years. During a period of intense left-right conflict in Sweden, Erlander used Thursday dinners as a communication platform among labor, management, and government.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chung had announced the Thursday dialogues after the general election during a press briefing with reporters on the 8th. At that time, he said, "The world is very complex these days, so coordination is a huge task. It’s not just about communicating with politicians but also with the public and various ministries," adding, "If we start with a humble attitude to serve the people and acknowledge our own shortcomings, coordination will be possible." This is interpreted as an aspiration to achieve cooperation between the government and the legislature through candid meetings and sincere communication, creating opportunities to resolve various social conflicts.

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