Kim Tae-nyeon Hosts National Assembly Thursday Dialogue 'Heart-to-Heart'... "First Task is Economy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Amid growing concerns over the economic crisis caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will hold a meeting every Thursday evening starting from the 25th to listen to voices from various sectors of society. The meeting is named ‘Heoshimtanhoe (虛心坦會)’.

Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the policy coordination meeting held at the National Assembly on the 25th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

The meeting was created with the purpose of having candid conversations with businesspeople, small business owners, labor representatives, scholars, and others, and reflecting these discussions in legislation. The name is derived from the four-character idiom Heoshimtanhoe (虛心坦懷), meaning to empty one’s mind and speak openly, but the last character was changed to ‘hoe (會)’, meaning meeting, to emphasize gathering.

The initial meetings will focus on listening to the voices from the economic frontlines struggling due to COVID-19. Floor leader Kim said, "The first duty of a working National Assembly is the economy," and added, "We prepared this meeting to hear diverse voices from all walks of life and to reflect them in policies preparing for the post-COVID-19 era."

At the first meeting, Kim will meet with representatives from the travel, tourism, and aviation industries. Woo Ki-hong, CEO of Korean Air, and Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, will attend.

On the 9th of next month, he will meet with heads of economic organizations. Afterwards, he plans to engage in dialogues with small and medium-sized manufacturers and labor representatives.

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