Choi Acting Chief "Will Strive for National Unity and Integration... Deep Communication with Ruling and Opposition Parties and All Sectors of Society"

Yonhap News

Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Minister of Strategy and Finance, presented keywords such as ‘full effort for stabilizing people’s livelihoods’ and ‘national harmony and unity’ in his New Year’s address for 2025, the Year of the Eulsa (乙巳).

On the 31st, Acting President Choi stated, "We will engage in deep communication with the National Assembly, ruling and opposition political circles, and leaders from various sectors of society to find wise solutions to the numerous challenges before us."

In the New Year’s address distributed that day, Acting President Choi said, "The Republic of Korea is facing an unprecedentedly serious situation," and added, "The government will devote all efforts to stable governance in all areas including defense, diplomacy, economy, and society so that the people can feel secure."

He also said, "Our military maintains an ironclad security posture," and "We will steadfastly strengthen solidarity with allied countries, including the ROK-U.S. alliance and ROK-U.S.-Japan security cooperation." He further emphasized the intention to solidify the ROK-U.S. combined defense posture to respond to the North Korean nuclear threat and Russia-North Korea military cooperation.

Acting President Choi stressed, "We will make every effort to respond swiftly to issues in diplomacy, security, and trade in preparation for the inauguration of the new U.S. administration under President Trump," and "We will closely communicate and consult with major countries without exception to protect the safety and national interests of the Republic of Korea."

He also stated, "Based on the solid fundamentals of our economy, we will eliminate domestic and international uncertainties and focus all efforts on stabilizing people’s livelihoods," and "While prioritizing the management of external creditworthiness, we will also strengthen cooperation among related ministries and agencies to prevent volatility in financial and foreign exchange markets."

For stabilizing people’s livelihoods, he promised, "The government will promptly execute various budgets from the beginning of the year so that the people can truly feel that the state is by their side," and "We will manage prices stably and provide timely support to small business owners and self-employed individuals to revive domestic demand."

Acting President Choi said, "To protect the lives and health of the people, we will operate emergency medical and other urgent care systems without gaps to prevent medical service voids," and "We will intensively crack down on various crimes that threaten the daily lives of good citizens, such as deepfakes and jeonse fraud, and prepare thoroughly for various safety accidents."

Finally, referring to 2025 as the ‘Year of the Blue Snake,’ he emphasized, "The snake symbolizes flexibility and insight to overcome difficulties, as well as change for a new beginning. I sincerely believe that by pooling everyone’s strength and wisdom, we can turn a ‘year of crisis’ into a ‘year of miracles’ that overcomes the crisis."

He added, "Although this is clearly a crisis situation, the Republic of Korea has overcome even greater crises," and "The government will lead from the front. Please trust the government and devote yourselves to daily life and economic activities."

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