President Moon: "Rapid Disbursement of Disaster Relief Funds Before Chuseok Is Key"

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the 8th Emergency Economic Meeting at the Blue House on the morning of the 10th.

President Moon Jae-in on the 10th emphasized that "swift execution is key" regarding the urgent comprehensive measures for the people's livelihood economy and urged the rapid execution of the 4th supplementary budget.

President Moon made these remarks during a closed-door discussion at the 8th Emergency Economic Meeting held at the Blue House, saying, "If payments are made before Chuseok, it can help many citizens and meet their needs," according to a written briefing by Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok.

During the closed discussion, President Moon used the word "swift" five times, repeatedly urging "quick payments."

President Moon stated, "For swift support to be possible, the government must prepare for execution in advance before the 4th supplementary budget bill passes the National Assembly," and instructed, "Ministers should especially encourage pre-preparations for rapid execution as part of proactive administration."

When ministers from various departments attending the meeting explained payment plans, President Moon evaluated, "The emphasis on swift execution was made, and a consensus seems to have been formed," adding, "For citizens who inevitably must be supported after Chuseok, please notify them before Chuseok that they are eligible for support."

President Moon also added, "To ensure that compensation for small business owners whose sales have plummeted due to the resurgence of COVID-19, and for industries restricted or banned from gathering due to strengthened social distancing, is executed fully without any unused budget, it must be spent in full."

Furthermore, President Moon emphasized "convenient receipt."

He said, "One reason our government received better evaluations than other countries when providing emergency disaster relief funds to all citizens last May was that we did not cause long lines or inconvenience from the application window onward," urging, "Please ensure that citizens can conveniently receive the support funds."

Meanwhile, President Moon presided over the Emergency Economic Meeting and finalized the preparation of the 4th supplementary budget (supplementary budget) amounting to 7.8 trillion won to respond to COVID-19.

The meeting focused intensively on the supplementary budget and Chuseok livelihood stabilization measures for vulnerable groups such as small business owners and operators who were directly hit by the resurgence of COVID-19. The detailed projects were designed to provide tailored support, including communication fee support, Small Business New Hope Fund, the 2nd COVID emergency employment stabilization support fund for vulnerable employment groups such as special employment types (SE), emergency living expenses for low-income households, and child care coupons.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Moon said, "We have prepared the 4th supplementary budget amounting to 7.8 trillion won," describing it as "a disaster support-type supplementary budget that focuses intensively on industries and occupations severely affected to provide robust support." He also added, "Although the amount is small, we will support communication fees for all citizens aged 13 and above," calling it "a small comfort and sincerity from the government for all citizens who find free face-to-face contact and economic activities difficult due to COVID-19."

President Moon acknowledged, "I know that the support funds from this supplementary budget are insufficient for citizens struggling with COVID-19 and many who have suffered great damage and face bleak prospects," adding, "Given the uncertainty of when COVID will end and the necessity to issue government bonds to provide support, this is an unavoidable choice to maximize effectiveness with limited resources." He continued, "I hope the citizens understand this supplementary budget with a spirit of solidarity to help neighbors who are more vulnerable and in greater difficulty first."

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