President Moon invites five key figures to Blue House to discuss overcoming the COVID-19 national crisis

<기사제목>Speaker of the National Assembly, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, President of the Constitutional Court, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Central Election Commission Invited to the Blue House

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the 22nd, President Moon Jae-in invited the heads of the five branches, including the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, to discuss measures to overcome the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). It was the first time in 2 years and 4 months since August 2018 that President Moon presided over a meeting with the heads of the five branches at the Blue House.

The five branch leaders who attended the event were Park Byeong-seok, Speaker of the National Assembly; Kim Myeong-su, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Yoo Nam-seok, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court; Chung Sye-kyun, Prime Minister; and Noh Jeong-hee, Chairperson of the National Election Commission. From the Blue House, Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, Director of National Security Office Seo Hoon, Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-sung, and Spokesperson Kang Min-seok were also present.

President Moon was invited to a dinner with spouses held at the Speaker of the National Assembly’s official residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, last May, where he exchanged greetings with the heads of the five branches and their spouses. That event was arranged by Moon Hee-sang, Speaker of the 20th National Assembly who retired from politics after the 20th National Assembly, and was more of a social gathering exchanging pleasantries than a discussion of current issues.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This time, amid the serious COVID-19 crisis, the meeting was arranged to hear frank advice from the five branch leaders and discuss ways to overcome the national crisis.

Broad discussions were held not only on COVID-19 but also on overall state affairs. The Blue House explained that the event was organized to ask citizens to trust the government and unite their efforts amid the increased inconvenience and economic burden caused by strengthened social distancing measures. The very act of inviting the heads of constitutional institutions to the Blue House to exchange opinions signifies the current situation’s need for 'unified leadership.'

In particular, the Blue House is deeply concerned about securing vaccines and alleviating public anxiety. President Moon is known to be paying special attention by personally overseeing the status of COVID-19 vaccine procurement.

On the 21st, President Moon stated, "The government’s research and development (R&D) budget for next year is 27.4 trillion won, the largest ever," adding, "It will be invested in the development of treatments and vaccines, serving as a catalyst to overcome COVID-19." Before the event inviting the five branch leaders, President Moon awarded the Order of Service Merit, Cheongjo Geunjeong Medal to former Supreme Court Justice and former Chairperson of the National Election Commission Kwon Soon-il.

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