Economic Ministers Visit Sites During Chuseok Holiday to "Check on Livelihoods and Economy"

Choo Kyung-ho Visits SK Hynix "Supporting Semiconductors"
Bang Moon-kyu Sacrifices Holiday... Attends International High-Level Meeting
Visits Welfare Center and Traditional Market to Check Prices for Vulnerable Groups

Key economic ministers are focusing on monitoring public welfare and the economy ahead of the Chuseok holiday. They are paying attention to the difficulties faced by vulnerable groups and socially disadvantaged people, and visiting business sites affected by the economic downturn to emphasize the government's active support.

According to government sources on the 27th, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho visited SK Hynix's Icheon plant in the morning to tour the semiconductor production site and hold a meeting with industry officials. This visit was made to encourage the semiconductor industry, which has continued to invest in innovation despite difficult business conditions due to the prolonged semiconductor market slump since the second half of last year.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho is visiting the SK Hynix Icheon Plant in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 27th and is signing the guestbook.

Deputy Prime Minister Choo said, "It is fortunate that semiconductors, which hold a key position in our economy, are showing signs of recovery from the previous slump," adding, "The government will actively support our companies to maintain the next-generation semiconductor super-gap." On the 25th, he visited a local children's center in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, delivering holiday gifts to the center's staff and children. The government plans to allocate one additional welfare worker to each local children's center used by 25 or more children and increase the monthly operating expenses by 15% in next year's budget. On the last day of the Chuseok holiday, October 3rd, Deputy Prime Minister Choo will visit Goryeo Giyun, located in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, to hold a meeting to listen to the difficulties faced by export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Bang Moon-kyu, who is in his first week in office, will depart on the 27th to visit Cabo Verde in the western Atlantic Ocean as a special presidential envoy to negotiate the hosting of the Busan World Expo. Prior to that, on the 28th, he will attend the International Energy Agency (IEA) High-Level Meeting on Critical Minerals held in Paris, France. Minister Bang plans to emphasize the need for a global consensus on securing a stable supply of critical minerals through technological innovation under the theme of "Infinite Potential for Technology, Recycling, and Jobs."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jung-sik attended the "Joint Declaration Ceremony for the Expansion of Win-Win Cooperation in the Petrochemical Industry" held at Lotte World Tower in Seoul the previous day. This declaration is significant as it marks the first case of the shipbuilding industry's win-win agreement, promoted as part of the dual structure improvement measures, spreading to other industries. Minister Lee said, "We will devise legal and institutional improvements for a 'fair and win-win labor market' and implement them without delay."

Minister Bang Moon-kyu Visits Tongin Market for Chuseok
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Bang Moon-kyu, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited Tongin Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 26th and purchased goods using Onnuri gift certificates. 2023.9.26 [Provided by Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Redistribution and DB reproduction prohibited]
Photo by Yonhap News
(End)

? Yonhap News Agency, Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited

Many agency heads also visited the field to check on the difficulties of vulnerable groups and monitor price trends during the Chuseok holiday. Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong visited the Songpa Senior Welfare Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, the previous day to inspect the support status of elderly welfare services. He especially delivered side dishes to the homes of elderly people living alone, checked on their well-being, and listened to their daily difficulties.

Minister Cho stated, "As we enter the era of 10 million elderly people, the government has prepared a senior welfare budget of 25.6 trillion won for next year, a 10.3% increase from this year, and expanded senior jobs to a record high of 1.03 million. We will actively implement welfare policies to ensure healthy old age for our seniors."

Minister of Environment Han Hwa-jin and Chairperson of the Fair Trade Commission Han Ki-jung visited Daejeon Songgang Traditional Market and Gongju Sanseong Market, respectively, to encourage market merchants. Minister Han conducted a campaign at the market entrance, distributing 300 shopping bags to promote shopping without disposable plastic bags. She also visited the Baekje Bo Geumgang Culture Center in Buyeo, Chungnam, to check plans for remodeling and utilizing the Four Major Rivers Culture and Promotion Center. Earlier, on the 21st, the National Water Management Committee decided to maintain the Four Major Rivers dams as they are.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan visited Homeplus in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to check trends in seafood prices and consumption. Minister Cho reviewed the progress of seafood discount events and the release status of government-stocked seafood. Previously, after Japan began discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in August, the Korean government strengthened radiation inspections on seafood.

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