Prime Minister Jeong: "Life After COVID-19 Is an 'Unknown Territory'... The World Follows a New Path"

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said on the 26th, "Life after the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is an unknown territory that no one has ventured into yet," adding, "The path we are walking on is becoming a new road, and people around the world are following."

Prime Minister Chung presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "No country has yet properly established the norms necessary to balance daily life and quarantine. If we create and successfully settle these norms, this too will become a benchmark for other countries."

He emphasized, "As we transition to social distancing in daily life, movements adapting to the new normal are emerging throughout society. Because we experienced the crisis earlier than other countries and are overcoming it successfully without extreme lockdowns, the world is paying attention to our new normal following K-quarantine."

He continued, "An unfamiliar scene is unfolding where Americans, thirsty for sports, are waiting for the opening of our professional baseball," and explained, "The professional soccer opening on May 8 is expected to attract the interest of Europeans who prioritize soccer over daily life."

Quoting Steve Walt, a professor at Harvard University in the United States, he said, "COVID-19 will accelerate the shift of Western influence toward the East," adding, "I cautiously expect that overcoming the crisis, preparing for the new normal, and adapting to the changing global economy due to COVID-19 will bring us a leap of a different dimension than before."

Prime Minister Chung said, "The government will continue to prepare and respond without lowering vigilance as before," and added, "The reason we have come this far is largely due to the strength of medical personnel." Before starting the meeting, Prime Minister Chung and the attendees all stood up and expressed their gratitude to the medical staff through sign language as a sign of respect.

He also concluded, "The wildfire that broke out the day before yesterday in Andong, Gyeongbuk, spread with strong winds until today. After the full deployment of firefighting resources including the Korea Forest Service, local governments, the Fire Agency, military and police, the flames were contained today without any casualties," and expressed deep gratitude for the efforts of public officials who worked hard to extinguish the wildfire despite being exhausted from COVID-19.

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