Yoon's First Livelihood Visit After Overseas Trip... "Will Listen to Citizens' Voices"

Meeting with Over 60 Citizens at a Mapo-gu Cafe
Listening to Public Opinions in a Town Hall Format
Emphasizing the Need for Fiscal Tightening and Reallocation
Yoon: "Increasing the Budget Will Harm Ordinary People"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 1st that despite the politically charged situation between the ruling and opposition parties, he will listen to the voices of ordinary citizens and reflect them in policies. In particular, President Yoon emphasized his determination to repeatedly visit the field to directly gauge public sentiment, saying, "Everything is my responsibility."

During his opening remarks at the 21st Emergency Economic and Livelihood Meeting held at a cafe in Mapo-gu, Seoul, President Yoon said, "The government must ensure the safety of the people and resolve and soothe their difficulties." About 60 citizens of various occupations and age groups, including housewives, office workers, and small business owners, attended the meeting.

The reason for holding the meeting in Mapo-gu also reflected President Yoon's intention to revisit his original commitment to the livelihood of the people, as this was the place where he declared his political participation in June 2021.

At the time of his political participation declaration, President Yoon mentioned self-employed business owners in Mapo along with Cheonan ship survivor Jeon Jun-young and K-9 self-propelled artillery accident survivor Lee Chan-ho, saying, "They asked me, 'How much longer do we have to endure? Why does the country only demand sacrifice?'" He stated that he would start from the common sense of the great people who built the Republic of Korea.

On this day as well, President Yoon emphasized, "I still vividly remember the cries of Mapo self-employed business owners struggling due to COVID-19 and made up my mind to revive livelihoods," adding, "I will renew my original intention in Mapo and take care of livelihoods with extraordinary determination."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Following the People Power Party’s defeat in the by-election for the Gangseo-gu district office last month, President Yoon has repeatedly ordered his presidential office aides to visit livelihood sites and listen to the voices of the people.

At the Cabinet meeting held on the 30th of last month, President Yoon also said, "Even if it is something we all know, hearing the voices of the people directly on site allows us to grasp the essence of the problem more vividly and feel the seriousness more deeply," urging Cabinet members to engage in field visits.

President Yoon also expressed dissatisfaction toward forces opposing the government's fiscal austerity and welfare policies for the vulnerable. He explained that due to inflation concerns, the government cannot recklessly loosen fiscal spending and is reallocating resources to areas where ordinary citizens feel difficulties, saying, "Those who used to receive support but no longer do are literally campaigning for the president’s resignation. In this era of political excess like now, it is really difficult to implement such (austerity) measures."

He continued, "However, if we increase fiscal spending further, ordinary citizens will suffer again due to inflation," persuading citizens of the necessity of fiscal austerity and reallocation.

After President Yoon’s opening remarks, meeting participants shared the hardships they personally experience in their livelihoods and their suggestions for the government. In response, President Yoon instructed relevant ministers to swiftly prepare and implement special measures to resolve the livelihood difficulties raised during the meeting.

Attending from the government were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young, Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Joo-hyun, Minister for Government Policy Coordination Bang Ki-seon; from the National Assembly, People Power Party Policy Committee Chairman Yoo Ui-dong; and from the presidential office, Senior Secretary for Civil Society Kang Seung-gyu, Senior Secretary for Public Relations Kim Eun-hye, and Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok, who all listened attentively to the voices of the citizens.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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