Yoon: "The Damage from Nuclear Phase-Out Affects the Entire Nation"…Criticizes Moon Administration for Two Consecutive Days

Criticism of Real Estate and Nuclear Phase-Out Policies Two Days in a Row
Differentiation from Moon Administration Ahead of General Election by About 20 Days
Reaffirmation of Strict Response and Criticism of Established Union Interests
Maintaining 52-Hour Workweek While Flexibilizing Desired Labor-Management Occupations

President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the previous Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy on the 20th, stating, "The push for the nuclear phase-out policy destroyed the nuclear ecosystem, and as a result, the damage has returned to our industry and the entire nation."

President Yoon made these remarks during a special lecture at the '51st Commerce Day Commemoration Ceremony' held at the 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, Seoul, saying, "Nuclear power is the foundation of our industry and economy."

He also pointed out, "Political ideological distortion and agitation are widespread, and ideologically biased policies sometimes shake our economy," adding, "A lack of understanding of the free market economic system and unprincipled populism trapped in misguided ideology have exacerbated the difficulties of our economy."

President Yoon emphasized, "Indiscriminate populism obsessed with fiscal omnipotence has increased by 400 trillion won in just five years, surpassing 1,000 trillion won," and said, "The government has given handouts while passing the bill on to future generations."

This is interpreted as an effort to differentiate himself by continuously criticizing the previous administration ahead of the general election in about 20 days. The day before, at the 21st Public Livelihood Discussion held at the Mullae Arts Factory in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, under the theme 'A New Miracle of the Han River through Urban Innovation,' President Yoon criticized the Moon Jae-in administration's roadmap for realistic public announcement prices as 'populism' and 'bad law.'

At that time, President Yoon cited the increase in public announcement prices over five years under the Moon administration, leading to higher property taxes and soaring rents, saying, "Wrong real estate policies have not only sharply increased the burden of housing costs on the people but also worsened livelihoods in various ways."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In addition, he repeatedly explained concerns about strong labor unions and the government's response policy. President Yoon said labor reform is the most urgent issue, stating, "Our current labor field is by no means normal. Due to the vested-interest union cartel armed with ideology, illegal activities are rampant in the labor field, and the dual structure of the labor market is deepening, pushing powerless unorganized workers into even more precarious conditions."

He continued, "Our government has so far firmly guaranteed lawful labor movements and strictly responded to illegal acts regardless of labor or management according to law and principles. We have boldly corrected illegal collective agreements that steal youth jobs such as employment succession and introduced a union accounting disclosure system to increase transparency and trust in union activities," adding, "As a result, the number of lost workdays due to strikes has decreased to one-third of the average under previous administrations. We will accelerate other reform tasks on the foundation of labor-management rule of law."

He also said, "Since the shipbuilding industry coexistence agreement in February last year, efforts for coexistence between primary and subcontractors have spread to various industries such as automobiles and petrochemicals," promising, "The government will actively support autonomous coexistence efforts between labor and management."

Furthermore, President Yoon explained that the government will maintain the 52-hour workweek framework to guarantee workers' health and rest rights and prepare improvement measures focusing on industries and occupations where labor and management desire flexibility. He also mentioned plans to transition from a seniority-based wage system to a job performance-based pay system, expand various work styles such as hybrid remote work, and implement labor market flexibility policies that allow flexible working hours.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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