"People's Livelihoods Are Difficult... We Must Not Cause Political Regression with Outdated Political Practices"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in warned, "In an already difficult situation for people's livelihoods, do not regress politics by provoking confrontation with outdated relics of the past." This appears to be aimed at the opposition party, which is launching an offensive over the 'North Korean nuclear power plant' allegations.

On the afternoon of the 1st, President Moon presided over a senior secretaries meeting at the Cheong Wa Dae Yeomin-gwan and said to both ruling and opposition parties, "I hope politics will compete with better policies to solve livelihood issues while cooperating."

President Moon said, "The extension of quarantine measures has increased difficulties for small business owners, and although the urgent third round of support payments is being made, it is very insufficient to prevent hardships," adding, "We must prepare institutional measures to compensate for losses caused by government quarantine measures, and also devise support measures for damages incurred until then. To this end, the government, the National Assembly, and both ruling and opposition parties must join forces," he emphasized.

On the same day, President Moon said, "The daily number of confirmed COVID-19 cases seemed to be dropping to the 300s or below, but repeated cluster infections at some religious facilities have continued, and ultimately the difficulties of self-employed people's livelihoods persist, which is truly distressing," adding, "I am especially sorry that we could not even grant the request to extend business hours by just one hour."

President Moon expressed regret, saying, "Following last Chuseok, I feel very heavy-hearted to ask again to refrain from visiting hometowns and traveling during this Lunar New Year," and "I earnestly wish to ease government quarantine measures as soon as possible and alleviate the difficulties of people's livelihoods."

He also emphasized transparent and prompt vaccination. President Moon said, "We will do our utmost to manage high-risk facilities such as unauthorized religious and educational facilities, nursing hospitals, and multi-use facilities, which have recently been a major burden on quarantine, without any gaps to prevent further spread and to enable vaccination in a stable situation," adding, "Preparations for vaccination are proceeding smoothly according to plan."

President Moon warned, "The government will do its best to vaccinate as many citizens as possible according to the planned vaccination order and will transparently disclose the entire process including transportation, storage, and vaccination," adding, "If there are any acts that incite public anxiety or obstruct vaccination by spreading fake news or false information, we will not hesitate to take strict action."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, he also urged the public to support domestic agricultural, livestock, and fishery products. President Moon said, "This year, many farms are struggling due to abnormal weather and avian influenza. If the public supports our agricultural, livestock, and fishery products and traditional markets, it will help difficult rural areas while revitalizing domestic demand and consumption," adding, "The government will focus on supplying 16 key essential items before the Lunar New Year holiday to stabilize prices and will thoroughly implement supply and demand stabilization measures to prevent sharp price increases in livestock products such as eggs."

Additionally, President Moon said, "Since our government took office, we have increased industrial safety inspectors, amended the Industrial Safety Act, and enacted the Serious Accident Punishment Act, significantly strengthening efforts to reduce industrial accidents, but tangible improvements have not been achieved," emphasizing, "Please promptly devise measures to greatly strengthen the functions and organization to enhance the capacity and expertise of industrial accident prevention agencies."

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