[Full Text] President Moon: "Our Choice Was Right... Leading Nation Leap with Korean New Deal 2.0"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 14th, President Moon Jae-in presented a strengthened 'Korean New Deal 2.0' strategy based on confidence that the 'Korean New Deal' strategy chosen amid COVID-19 was the right path.

President Moon stated, "The Korean New Deal is a future strategy for the Republic of Korea beyond our government," and declared that based on this, the country will leap forward as a leading nation.

Below is the full text of President Moon's speech.

Dear fellow citizens,

Today marks the first anniversary of the Korean New Deal declaration,

and along with its achievements,

I would like to report to the people

the plan to promote the more evolved ‘Korean New Deal 2.0.’

The threat of COVID-19 remains,

and we are facing the severe situation of Level 4 social distancing in the Seoul metropolitan area,

but the Korean New Deal must continue to advance.

The Korean New Deal is a project that began in the midst of crisis.

It is not only about overcoming the immediate crisis,

but a national development strategy to leap forward as a leading country,

which has evolved repeatedly to create hope.

At first,

it started as a large-scale job creation strategy to respond to the COVID-19 crisis,

focusing on the ‘Digital New Deal,’

but to accelerate the response to climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy,

the ‘Green New Deal’ was established as another pillar,

marking the beginning of the full-fledged evolution of the Korean New Deal.

Additionally, expanding the employment safety net and social safety net

became the foundation of the Korean New Deal,

finally completing its full form.

Not stopping there,

the Regional Balanced New Deal was established as the spirit of the Korean New Deal,

laying the groundwork for regional expansion.

An investment plan worth 160 trillion won was set,

making it a bold and grand national development strategy

that turns crisis into opportunity.

The international community also recognizes the Korean New Deal

as a representative national development strategy

for overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and responding to the climate crisis.

Now, the Korean New Deal has become a path the world is taking together.

We could confirm at the G7 summit

that the national development strategy we proposed a year ago

has become a universal direction pursued worldwide.

Today, with confidence that our choice was right,

we are announcing the strengthened ‘Korean New Deal 2.0.’

Based on the achievements so far,

this is a more advanced strategy to further expand and develop the Korean New Deal.

Dear citizens,

The Korean New Deal has powerfully opened the door to Korea’s great transformation.

It has sparked winds of digital innovation and green innovation,

and strengthened the power of inclusion.

With that power, we were able to quickly overcome the economic shock caused by COVID-19,

and move forward as a leading country.

Active fiscal investment became the catalyst and driving force for change.

Big data platforms and AI training data

have been built and opened.

Smart equipment has been distributed to elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide,

building future education infrastructure,

and accelerating the digitalization of SOC such as industry, transportation, and logistics.

The distribution of electric and hydrogen vehicles has expanded,

and support for the development and distribution of renewable energy has laid the foundation for the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Schools, villages, buildings, and industrial complexes

are transforming living and working spaces into green spaces.

The employment safety net and social safety net are also being solidly established.

To advance the era of nationwide employment insurance,

the scope of insurance enrollment has been continuously expanded,

the National Employment Support System has been implemented,

and by increasing specialized personnel such as software talent,

we have achieved effects in mitigating employment shocks.

Institutional foundations for the stable promotion of the Korean New Deal are also being established.

The Basic Data Act is being promoted, and the world’s first Hydrogen Act has been enacted,

and an income tracking system is being built to strengthen the employment safety net.

Private sector participation is also being activated.

Investment in data, network, and AI businesses is expanding,

and large-scale renewable energy investment plans such as the world’s largest offshore wind farm and floating offshore wind farm are being announced.

Major companies are actively engaging in digital talent development,

and private participation is spreading in investments in people such as bridging the digital divide.

With these achievements and changes,

the public has also begun to feel the Korean New Deal in their daily lives.

‘Dr. Answer,’ ‘AI National Secretary,’ delivery robots, and more

have become easily accessible in everyday life,

and ‘green’ has become a daily language in all areas of life such as housing, transportation, and economy, improving quality of life.

Interest and participation in the Korean New Deal are also increasing.

Private New Deal funds are continuously being launched,

and the ‘Citizen Participation New Deal Fund’ sold out early.

The achievements made amid the COVID-19 crisis are even more valuable.

‘Korean New Deal 2.0’

will allow people to feel changes and achievements in daily life even faster.

Dear citizens,

The world is striving to secure an advantage in digital competition,

and is strongly promoting strategies to foster a low-carbon economy as a future growth engine.

‘Korean New Deal 2.0’

is a plan to actively respond to these changes in the international environment,

and to accelerate digital and green transitions.

More attention will be paid to closing gaps, expanding safety nets, and investing in people,

and support for inclusive transitions such as labor mobility due to rapid industrial structural changes will be expanded.

First, in addition to the ‘Digital New Deal’ and ‘Green New Deal’ of the Korean New Deal,

we will establish the ‘Human New Deal’ as another new pillar.

The ‘Human New Deal’ is an expansion and development of the employment safety net and social safety net.

Accordingly, the Korean New Deal now stands on three pillars: digital, green, and human,

and has evolved one step further into an inclusive national project that practices the spirit of regional balance.

Through the ‘Human New Deal,’

we will strengthen the employment and social safety nets by establishing a nationwide employment safety net and completely abolishing the support obligation criteria,

and greatly expand investment in people in response to the low-carbon and digital transitions.

We will focus on supporting the youth, the core driving force of social change,

and on closing the growing gaps in education and care.

We will provide maximum support so that companies and universities can effectively nurture talent in new growth industries such as system semiconductors, bio-health, and future cars, including about 90,000 software talents.

We will support tailored asset formation for the youth, the future of Korea,

and spare no policy support for housing stability and easing the burden of education expenses.

Through quality vocational education programs and startup support,

we will actively support youth job creation and help them become leaders of innovation.

To close the education gap,

we will introduce four major education improvement packages,

and greatly expand the foundation for quality care services,

strengthening the care safety net for vulnerable groups.

Second, we will accelerate the digital and green transitions.

By combining 5G and AI in the daily lives of citizens and all industries,

we will maintain a digital super-gap.

We will lead the era of hyper-connectivity and hyper-intelligence by supporting ICT convergence new industries such as metaverse, cloud, blockchain, and Internet of Things.

To ensure the smooth implementation of carbon neutrality and greenhouse gas reduction targets,

we will build a foundation for carbon neutrality within the ‘Green New Deal.’

We will organize greenhouse gas measurement and evaluation systems,

and actively respond to changes in the international order such as the introduction of carbon border taxes.

We will further expand green infrastructure,

accelerate green mobility projects such as electric and hydrogen vehicles,

and promote the transition to a low-carbon economy through carbon reduction technology development and green finance.

Third, we will achieve a fair transition.

We will actively support companies’ business structure reforms for the digital economy and low-carbon economy transition,

and help workers smoothly move to new jobs through job transition training and reemployment support.

Finally,

we will greatly expand investment following the evolution of the Korean New Deal.

By 2025, the total investment scale of the Korean New Deal

will be expanded from the existing 160 trillion won to 220 trillion won.

Active participation of local regions is a strong driving force of the Korean New Deal.

We will support excellent local New Deal projects,

and quickly spread the achievements throughout every corner of the Republic of Korea.

We will additionally raise 100 billion won for the citizen participation New Deal fund

to share the achievements of the Korean New Deal with the people.

Dear fellow citizens,

We turned the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity

and fully demonstrated our capabilities.

The Korean New Deal will be our strongest policy tool.

The Korean New Deal is the hope for overcoming COVID-19,

and a future strategy for the Republic of Korea beyond our government.

The Korean New Deal will continue to develop and evolve.

We will not stop at ‘Korean New Deal 2.0,’

but move forward toward becoming a leading nation.

The owners of the Korean New Deal are the people.

The protagonists of its evolution are also the people.

I hope the people will participate with deep interest and affection.

Toward an inclusive and sustainable future, a leading nation,

we will move forward vigorously together with the people.

Thank you.

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