President Moon: "Nationwide Employment Insurance, Mid- to Long-Term Plan"... Indicates Speed Adjustment

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the Cabinet meeting at the Blue House on the morning of the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the 12th, President Moon Jae-in emphasized regarding the prevention of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), "It is better to promote the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency as soon as possible," adding, "There is no time to hesitate while facing the immediate crisis. We must urgently strengthen the quarantine and health system." He also stressed the 'speed' of policy implementation by saying, "I hope the 3rd supplementary budget will be promptly pursued."

President Moon also said, "The era of 'universal employment insurance' cannot be achieved overnight," and "It must be developed step by step." This hinted at a 'speed adjustment' regarding the expansion of employment insurance coverage announced in his special speech on the 3rd anniversary.

On the same day, President Moon presided over a video Cabinet meeting at the Blue House and stated in his opening remarks, "It is essential at this time to drastically strengthen the employment safety net to expand employment insurance subscribers such as workers in special employment types and low-wage irregular workers," but also said, "Even well-intentioned systems can have adverse effects if not carefully prepared." In particular, he emphasized, "Significantly expanding employment insurance coverage for self-employed individuals requires a lot of time and effort," adding, "An income tracking system must be established, and social consensus and financial measures must be prepared together."

Furthermore, President Moon described this as a 'mid- to long-term plan' and urged, "The government should prepare realistic measures to lay the foundation for the era of universal employment insurance while reducing blind spots in employment insurance as quickly as possible and carry them out faithfully."

President Moon's remarks are interpreted as emphasizing 'gradual expansion through social consensus' because the part of his special speech on the 10th stating "We will lay the foundation for the era of universal employment insurance" could potentially lead to backlash due to concerns such as sudden premium increases.

Regarding the 'Korean New Deal' for job creation, he warned, "It is not about repackaging existing projects but actively discovering and promoting large-scale projects," adding, "If we remain stuck in the past, we will inevitably become laggards or be eliminated."

President Moon also addressed the National Assembly, saying, "Although the 20th National Assembly has little time left, I hope that essential bills will not be passed on to the 21st National Assembly," and added, "I expect the National Assembly to respond legislatively to the people who are uniting their will to overcome the national crisis."

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