President Moon and Prime Minister Kim Discuss Health Workers' Strike... "Government Support for Smooth Labor-Management Negotiations"

Weekly Meeting at Cheongwadae

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seon-hee] President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum recently discussed the ongoing strike movements in sectors such as healthcare and logistics, the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced on the 23rd. The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) has announced a full-scale general strike scheduled for the 2nd of next month.

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, President Moon and Prime Minister Kim held their weekly meeting at the Blue House during the day to discuss these labor-management relations trends. In particular, with the nationwide spread of the fourth wave of COVID-19, if the KHMU strike materializes, it is expected to cause significant damage to quarantine and medical systems.

Regarding this, Prime Minister Kim reported the current situation to President Moon and said, "Thanks to the efforts of medical, quarantine, and export workers, we have maintained favorable quarantine conditions and economic situations compared to other countries," adding, "The government will provide all possible support to ensure that labor and management can conclude negotiations smoothly," the Office for Government Policy Coordination conveyed.

Additionally, President Moon and Prime Minister Kim checked the supply and demand situation of agricultural, livestock, and fishery products ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Recently, due to heatwaves and avian influenza (AI) and other livestock infectious diseases, prices of agricultural, livestock, and fishery products have shown signs of instability.

Prime Minister Kim stated, "Egg prices, which had been at a higher level than usual, have dropped to the 6,000 won range through expanded imports and recovery of production capacity, and the supply situation of vegetables is gradually improving, with prices expected to stabilize downward," adding, "Ahead of Chuseok, we will make every effort to proactively manage living costs by significantly increasing the release of seasonal products such as fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish compared to usual years to stabilize supply."

Meanwhile, the government plans to announce a special youth policy focusing on 'overcoming the COVID-19 crisis, closing gaps, and strengthening future capabilities' soon. President Moon received a report on the related progress and future plans from Prime Minister Kim on the same day.

Prime Minister Kim said, "We are reviewing measures to supply jobs preferred by young people while simultaneously ensuring that companies can stably secure personnel in new industries such as software (SW) and IT," adding, "Going forward, we will concentrate government capabilities on raising awareness and the tangible impact of youth policies, and also review comprehensive measures to reorganize the policy delivery system."

The government plans to hold the 'Youth Policy Coordination Committee' chaired by Prime Minister Kim within this week to finalize and announce related agendas.

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