President Moon and Prime Minister Kim Issue "Strong Warning" Over Ministry of Justice's Excessive Protocol

Weekly Meeting

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Son Seonhee] President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum issued a strong warning on the 30th regarding the recent controversy over the Ministry of Justice's 'excessive protocol.'

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination on the same day, President Moon and Prime Minister Kim held a regular meeting at the Blue House and exchanged opinions on the recent controversy surrounding Kang Sung-guk, the Vice Minister of Justice. At the meeting, Prime Minister Kim stated, "I will strongly warn high-ranking public officials whose actions do not meet the public's expectations, regardless of reasons or rank," and reported, "To prevent recurrence, we will review related manuals such as the 'Minister and Vice Minister Duty Guide' and improve any parts that need supplementation."

Vice Minister Kang of the Ministry of Justice was caught in a 'royal protocol' controversy when, on the 27th during heavy rain at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk, a Ministry of Justice employee was seen kneeling behind him holding an umbrella while he was giving a briefing on initial settlement support for special Afghan entrants.

Regarding this, President Moon and Prime Minister Kim agreed that "while passive inaction by public officials in the latter half of their terms is a problem, excessive protocol and other over-the-top behaviors should also be restrained." They also agreed that this incident should serve as an opportunity for all ministries and public institutions to reconsider the customary protocols from the public’s perspective, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.

Meanwhile, with the Health and Medical Workers' Union announcing a general strike on the 2nd of next month and negotiations with the government forthcoming, Prime Minister Kim said, "We will do our best to negotiate actively by accepting reasonable proposals from the union that align with the government's policy direction, such as strengthening public healthcare and expanding the infectious disease response infrastructure, to ensure that no medical gaps occur."

Regarding the rapidly increasing household debt, he said, "If interest rate hikes become full-scale, there is concern it could burden our economy," adding, "We will continue to manage household debt to mitigate risks while continuously supporting urgent livelihood funds and real demand groups such as the homeless to prevent them from suffering damage."

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