Hong Nam-ki "Vaccine Inoculation, Confident as 'Economic Recovery Momentum'... Considering Challenges of Daily Life Restoration"

Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, is seated attending the COVID-19 vaccine and treatment status review meeting held at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 26th. 2021.2.26 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, stated on the 26th, the day COVID-19 vaccinations began, "I expect and am confident that this will provide a precious momentum for the return to daily life for the people and the recovery of our economy."

On the same day, Hong posted on his social media (SNS), "So far, we have focused our efforts on mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and expanding support for those affected. In addition, we will carefully consider the tasks that need to be prepared during the process of restoring and normalizing daily life," he wrote.

Hong explained the government's efforts by mentioning the financial support of approximately 1.3 trillion won invested in vaccine purchase contracts for 79 million doses, advance payments, distribution, storage, and other vaccination preparations. He added that the supplementary budget to be announced on the 2nd of next month will also include additional costs for vaccine purchases and vaccination expenses.

Hong said, "COVID-19, which caused as much fear as smallpox, is expected to end soon as vaccines have been developed and vaccinations are underway," and added, "I hope the start of vaccinations will be the first step toward restoring daily life."

He also stated, "As the government faces a turning point with vaccinations in its quarantine response, economic policies will also be actively adjusted by closely monitoring global trends, quarantine developments, market conditions, and policy directions to ensure that not only the policy content but also the timing and pace proceed without disruption."

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