President Moon: "Full-scale response with vaccines and treatments next month... Early overcoming of COVID-19"

President Moon Jae-in is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on the morning of the 5th. January 5, 2021 [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sunhee] President Moon Jae-in stated on the 5th regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, "Starting next month, a more full-scale response will be possible through vaccines and treatments."

On the same day, President Moon presided over the first Cabinet meeting of the new year at the Blue House and said, "Following the approval process by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, vaccination can begin as early as next month." He added, "The top priority for South Korea this year is to quickly emerge from the long tunnel of COVID-19," and emphasized, "We will definitely overcome COVID-19 early and restore the daily lives of our citizens that have been lost."

During the Cabinet meeting, a proposal for the expenditure of the 2021 general account contingency fund was approved to provide emergency funds to vulnerable employment groups such as small business owners, special-type workers, and freelancers who have suffered damage due to the COVID-19 crisis. Starting next week, the third round of disaster relief funds totaling 9.3 trillion won will be distributed to 5.8 million people. President Moon identified small business owners and self-employed individuals as the sectors most severely impacted economically, stating, "The weight of the pain caused by COVID-19 is by no means equal," and added, "The government will prioritize sharing the burden of this pain."

President Moon also emphasized, "Housing stability is also a critical livelihood issue," and said, "While maintaining the government's policy stance of blocking speculative demand, expanding housing supply, and strengthening tenant protection, we will not hesitate to establish additional measures. Above all, we will focus on swiftly preparing innovative and diverse housing supply plans."

Despite the global economic impact of COVID-19 last year, South Korea performed relatively well, ranking first in growth rate among OECD countries. Evaluating this, President Moon encouraged Cabinet members, saying, "In the new year, we will make the pulse of our economy beat even stronger. With mature civic consciousness and greater unity in the face of crisis, let us vigorously advance toward the recovery of daily life and the leap to a leading nation."

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