Prime Minister Jeong Launches 'Thursday Dialogue'... Discussing Changes and Responses Brought by COVID-19

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held the first Thursday Dialogue on the 23rd at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Samseong-dong, Seoul, together with scholars and experts from various fields of society, the Prime Minister's Office announced.

The Thursday Dialogue is a dialogue model for resolving social conflicts and preparing for the future, which Prime Minister Chung has envisioned since his inauguration. The first dialogue began under the theme of "Preparing for a New Normal after the Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19)."

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Chung, Park Seung, Honorary Professor of Economics at Chung-Ang University (former Governor of the Bank of Korea), Lee Kwang-hyung, KAIST Chair Professor of Bio and Brain Engineering (Vice President), Cho Han-hye-jung, Honorary Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Yonsei University, Yoon Jung-ro, Chair Professor of Basic Science at UNIST, Yoon Sung-sik, Honorary Professor of Public Administration at Korea University, Yoon Young-kwan, Honorary Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, Ha Joon-kyung, Professor of Economics at Hanyang University, Hong Yoon-chul, Professor of Preventive Medicine at Seoul National University, Sung Kyung-ryung, Chairman of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Cho Heung-sik, Director of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, and Jeon Young-il, Director of the Statistics Development Institute.

This Thursday Dialogue seeks to explore countermeasures for social conflicts and economic and social ripple effects that may arise from the shock of COVID-19 through participation and dialogue with experts from various sectors of society.

Starting from this day, the discussions will be divided into general sessions (1st and 2nd) over two weeks and sector-specific sessions (3rd to 6th) over four weeks, held every Thursday. Additional meetings are also planned depending on the progress of the discussions.

Even after this relay policy meeting, the Thursday Dialogue will continue to be held to form social consensus with representatives from various sectors such as economy, labor, and civil society on social issues and current affairs.

At this occasion, Prime Minister Chung expressed deep gratitude to the citizens who are actively participating in overcoming the crisis by demonstrating virtues of "consideration and solidarity" and "dedication and sacrifice" in the face of the global crisis of COVID-19.

He also stated that starting the Thursday Dialogue at this time, when preparation is needed for the rapid social changes brought by COVID-19, is very meaningful.

The meeting began in earnest with presentations by David Fisman, a Canadian infectious disease modeling scholar and Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Toronto, and Sung Kyung-ryung, Chairman of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs.

Professor Fisman, who presented via video call, predicted based on the analysis of the "COVID-19 predictive modeling" that the cumulative number of confirmed cases will stabilize around 11,000 in mid to late April.

He also shared Korea's case on behalf of Canadian authorities and related experts and expressed hope for cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in the fields of AI and digital economy in the post-COVID era.

Chairman Sung emphasized in his presentation titled "Preparation for the Post-COVID Era" that "To respond to the complex economic and social crises that will come after COVID-19, social dialogue and governance-based national administration, as well as future-oriented national management that can detect risks and possibilities in advance, are more necessary than ever."

Prime Minister Chung said, "Paradoxically, COVID-19 eloquently demonstrates the importance of 'communication and governance,'" adding, "We will turn the crisis into an opportunity and prepare for changes and development in all areas of society by gathering the will of various sectors and establishing a government-wide response plan."

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