President Moon to Hold Security Briefing This Afternoon... Likely to Urge 'Swift Support for 3rd Disaster Relief Fund'

President Moon Jae-in [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in is expected to urge the swift execution of the third round of disaster relief funds to minimize the impact on the livelihood economy caused by the worsening COVID-19 situation on the 14th. The payment schedule for the third disaster relief fund, originally planned around the Lunar New Year holiday in February next year, is expected to be moved up to early next year.

On the same day, President Moon held a senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House, where he reportedly ordered support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises and self-employed workers, including the aforementioned content. In particular, as the government is considering raising social distancing to Level 3, he seemed to emphasize the 'speed' to ensure rapid support in preparation for the worst-case scenario. A Blue House official explained, "While quarantine measures are important, the economy cannot be neglected," adding, "With the COVID-19 situation worsening, it is judged that urgent support is needed for self-employed workers who are expected to suffer significant damage."

The government is considering raising social distancing to Level 3, which can be called the 'last resort.' The decision to raise the distancing level will be made by the government based on the trend of daily confirmed cases in the future. President Moon also urgently presided over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for the first time in about 10 months the day before, expressing concern by saying, "If we fail to curb the current spread, we will have to consider raising social distancing to Level 3, a critical phase," and "The pain and damage caused by raising to Level 3 are unimaginable."

Meanwhile, before the senior secretaries and aides meeting on the same day, President Moon is scheduled to have a weekly meeting with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Blue House. Discussions are expected to cover various issues, including COVID-19 quarantine measures.

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