President Moon Shares the Story of the 'Dodo Bird' at the ILO Global Summit (Comprehensive)

President Moon's COVID-19 Overcoming Speech Delivered via Video... "Korea Will Protect Jobs Through the Path of Coexistence"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "Honorable Secretary-General, heads of state and labor representatives from various countries, in Mauritius, Indian Ocean, when the dodo bird became extinct,

the trees that sprouted seeds, which were food for the dodo bird, could no longer grow."

President Moon Jae-in participated as a speaker at the International Labour Organization (ILO) 'Global Leaders Day' event on the 8th and shared the story of the 'dodo bird.' The reason President Moon conveyed the story of the dodo bird to world leaders and heads of international organizations through a video is because he believes it contains a solution for countries worldwide struggling with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.

President Moon said, "Above all, coexistence comes first. My neighbor must live for me to live. Humanity has evolved to cooperate and shared what is needed through division of labor. The importance of solidarity and cooperation is felt more acutely due to COVID-19," emphasizing, "The international community must overcome the crisis by choosing the path of coexistence, not 'every man for himself.'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The message is that the international community must cooperate to overcome the crisis by narrowing gaps and inequalities, with the ILO playing a central role, and that Korea will also cooperate and take action. President Moon explained Korea's crisis resolution measures while addressing the reality that the COVID-19 crisis is approaching as a destabilizing factor in the labor market.

President Moon warned, "The COVID 'earthquake' has struck the world, and like a tsunami after an earthquake, the 'job shock' is already upon us," adding, "Even if a country's economy is maintained, if the global economy continues to stagnate and international trade does not activate, the job crisis will persist."

The economic crisis brought by COVID-19 cannot be resolved by the power of any single economic agent or country alone.

President Moon said, "Korea was one of the first countries to suffer from COVID damage, and the job shock started early, but we chose the 'path of coexistence' to face the crisis," explaining, "Korean workers, entrepreneurs, and the government agreed on the 'Declaration of Labor-Management-Government for Overcoming COVID.' Instead of personnel adjustments, we decided to make every effort to maintain employment by maximizing the use of reduced working hours and leave."

President Moon added, "Korea has cultivated the traditional spirit of mutual aid into a culture of mutual concession and shared pain between labor and management, which has become a strength in overcoming the COVID crisis," and "This is bringing changes not only to jobs but also to labor-management relations."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Furthermore, President Moon said, "Korea is also focusing on 'overcoming the crisis by narrowing gaps.' To avoid repeating the experience of deepening inequality during economic crises, Korea aims to build a stronger 'employment safety net,'" adding, "Korea is promoting the 'Korean New Deal' based on the 'employment safety net.'"

This message indicates preparing and creating future jobs in line with new values and era changes called 'digital' and 'green.'

President Moon said, "Korea has long held the belief that 'labor is the foundation of society' and has steadily advanced toward a 'society where labor is respected,'" pledging, "Korea will protect and create jobs through the 'path of coexistence.' We will join the international community in efforts to improve workers' quality of life, including ratifying the ILO core conventions."

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