Lee: "Parties to the War Must Make Courageous Efforts for Peace"

President Lee Chairs Cabinet and Emergency Economic Review Meeting
Real Estate Normalization Policy: "Exclude Even Employees Who Copy Documents"
"For the Time Being, High Oil Prices Will Persist... Further Strengthen the Emergency Response System"

President Lee Jaemyung stated during his opening remarks at the cabinet meeting on April 14, "I urge the parties involved in the war to take courageous steps toward the peace that the world desperately desires, based on the universal principles of human rights and the lessons of history." He pointed out that, regarding the situation in the Middle East, a peace agreement has yet to be reached and emphasized the need to further strengthen emergency response measures in light of escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and the prospect of prolonged high oil prices. On domestic issues, he addressed the matter of government employees owning multiple or high-value properties, instructing, "Remove even those whose job is to copy documents," and added, "Ensure that no vested interests can infiltrate real estate policy."

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At the joint cabinet and emergency economic review meeting held at the Blue House that day, President Lee reiterated the necessity of efforts for peace directed at the parties to the conflict, seemingly in response to recent social media disputes related to the Israeli military. He said, "For the time being, global energy and raw material supply chain challenges and high oil prices will persist," adding, "We must treat this as a constant and work to solidify our current emergency response system."

President Lee also urged the prompt implementation on the ground of the so-called "war-related supplementary budget," which has passed the National Assembly. He stated, "Now that the supplementary budget has been finalized, it is urgent to quickly inject funds into livelihood-related sites," and cautioned, "Special care must be taken to prevent a repeat of the inhumane practices that occurred in some local governments during last year's distribution of livelihood recovery consumption coupons." He further called for the swift implementation of plans to expand incentives for the "Card for Everyone" program to reduce transportation burdens on the public and increase public transit usage. He requested that developing alternative supply chains, pursuing mid- to long-term industrial structure reforms, and realizing a plastic-free economy be pushed forward as "top-priority national strategic projects."

Additionally, regarding real estate policy, President Lee ordered, "Even employees whose job is to copy drafts should not be owners of multiple properties," and added, "This also applies to the tax system, so I expect thorough preparation of real estate policy." In response, Kim Yongbeom, the Blue House policy chief, answered, "Vice ministers from each ministry are managing this," specifying the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Planning and Budget, the Financial Services Commission, and the Blue House Policy Office as the relevant bodies. On March 22, President Lee had previously instructed the exclusion of owners of multiple homes, non-resident owners of high-value properties, and those with excessive real estate holdings from all processes of policy discussion, formulation, reporting, and approval relating to housing and real estate.

The cabinet meeting also discussed the Ministry of Justice's "Plan to Rationalize Administrative Criminal Penalties." President Lee noted, "Punishments are being handed out too indiscriminately, making it hard to distinguish them from moral standards," and remarked, "This is leading to a state of judicialization and penalization of the nation." He criticized the current legal system, stating that the principle of legality in criminal law has effectively collapsed. "The regulations are too ambiguous, and as they are interpreted and manipulated in an expanded way, society has become one without standards," he said. Addressing Minister of Justice Jeong Seongho, President Lee stated, "This time, we need to reorganize the criminal code," and emphasized, "Moral standards, administrative penalty standards, and criminal penalty standards must all be different."

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President Lee also offered condolences for the two firefighters who recently died in the line of duty while responding to a fire in Wando, South Jeolla Province. He said, "I pay my respects to the courage and dedication of the deceased, who fulfilled their duty until the end, and offer my deepest condolences to the bereaved families." He added, "While swift fire suppression is important, ensuring the safety of firefighters during the process is equally critical," and explained that related ministries need to thoroughly review fire safety manuals and expand the adoption of firefighting robots, among other improvements to the fire response system.

Regarding industrial accident countermeasures, he noted, "Although it is fortunate that the number of fatalities from accidents subject to disaster investigation in the first quarter of this year has significantly decreased compared to last year, there is still a long way to go," and called on each ministry to strengthen supervision of high-risk workplaces and ensure thorough safety management at small businesses.

Meanwhile, the president ordered active central government support for the 2026 Yeosu World Islands Expo, the first international event to be held following the integration of South Jeolla Province and Gwangju, with less than five months remaining. President Lee stated, "Given the possibility of an administrative vacuum due to the local elections in June, it is not easy to leave expo preparations entirely to local authorities."

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