Yoon "Apologize to the Public for Budget Bill Delay... Will Do Our Best While Upholding Principles"

Meeting with Prime Minister Han Deok-su... Yoon on Youth Internship Program: "The Core of Youth Policy is National Participation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Seok-yeol on the 19th addressed the delay in the approval of next year's budget, stating, "We apologize to the public for the delay in passing the budget. We must uphold principles and do our best until the very end to fulfill the government's duties."

On the same day, President Yoon held a regular meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Yongsan Presidential Office building and said, "Given the anticipated global economic downturn next year, the importance of next year's budget is greater than ever to revive the economy and protect vulnerable groups," according to a briefing by Deputy Spokesperson Lee Jae-myung of the Presidential Office.

President Yoon also urged the Prime Minister to ensure thorough follow-up measures on the first national agenda review meeting held on the 15th at the Blue House State Guesthouse. He specifically requested utmost efforts in managing and responding to economic risks, protecting vulnerable groups, and safety management including large-scale fires.

In response, Prime Minister Han said, "Through the meeting, the President's governance philosophy, especially the strong will for the three major reforms and the 'local era,' was well conveyed," and pledged to swiftly implement follow-up measures for the 'local era' national agenda, such as decentralizing central authority and discovering region-specific customized projects, while closely cooperating with the ruling party.

After receiving a report on Prime Minister Han's plan to activate youth internships, President Yoon said, "The core of our government's youth policy is the participation of youth in governance. Actively reflecting the voices of youth in governance is true participation and fairness," and instructed, "Please operate it substantively." The youth internship activation plan is expected to be finalized within the year after discussions by the Youth Policy Coordination Committee under the Prime Minister and reporting to the Cabinet meeting. The government aims to start the recruitment process for youth interns in January next year and deploy them on-site from March of the same year.

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