Yoon: "Pursuing Change Over 1-Year Achievements... Citizens Must Be Able to Feel It" (Comprehensive)

President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed his thoughts on the first anniversary of the government’s launch, stating, "I believe it is necessary to show what kind of changes we are pursuing."

President Yoon made these remarks during his closing comments at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office. Lee Do-woon, the presidential spokesperson, conveyed this in a briefing, saying, "Everyone talks about showing the achievements of how much work our government has done over the past year."

President Yoon continued, "I hope the Cabinet members will review the work of their respective ministries and write down with pencil on paper how things are changing, comparing before and after the government’s launch," emphasizing, "Even if our people do not deeply experience the changes, they must at least feel them. Only then will they think, 'Ah, the country is changing,' and 'I can have hope.'" He particularly stressed, "Having hope is essential for overcoming the crises and challenges we face."

He encouraged Cabinet members to listen to external voices through candid conversations with ministry staff, school juniors, and others. President Yoon especially noted, "Young people may seem to know less than us, but that is absolutely not the case," emphasizing, "The older generation often knows too little compared to the youth, and what the youth know can actually be more important in state affairs."

Furthermore, he urged, "Let us create changes so that the people can be prouder of our country," adding, "Changing the mindset to believe that we can do it is also very important."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Earlier, in his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting, President Yoon highlighted the strengthened South Korea-US alliance following his recent state visit to the United States. He said, "On the cornerstone of a 'value alliance,' we have established five pillars: security, industry, science and technology, culture, and information alliances," mentioning that through mutual synergy, a "forward-moving, action-oriented South Korea-US alliance" will be realized.

Regarding the greatest achievement, the "Washington Declaration," he referred to the implementation plan for the "Korean-style extended deterrence," the establishment of the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), and maintaining an overwhelming deterrence posture through the regular deployment of US strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula. He urged Cabinet members, "It is important to concretely implement the Washington Declaration through information sharing, joint planning, and joint execution regarding the operation of US nuclear assets in the future."

On the science and technology alliance, he said, "The South Korea-US science and technology alliance is expanding its scope from semiconductors and batteries to emerging technology fields such as clean hydrogen, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technology, and small modular reactors (SMR)." He emphasized, "When the US’s core fundamental technologies meet South Korea’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, it will create a great synergy beneficial to both countries." He also shared his observations of advanced industrial development at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

He introduced the governments’ investments to strengthen cultural and human exchanges. The newly launched "South Korea-US Youth Special Exchange Initiative" will establish a joint fund of $60 million by both countries to promote youth exchanges in STEM and humanities and social sciences fields. Additionally, the number of students eligible to participate in the WEST program, which allows them to stay in the US for up to 18 months to work and study English, will be expanded from 2,000 to 2,500 annually. He called on Cabinet members to actively engage in follow-up work to visibly realize these achievements.

When asked by reporters whether there would be a separate announcement or explanation regarding the government’s direction, given that President Yoon mentioned future changes rather than past achievements at the Cabinet meeting and said at a press luncheon that he would not engage in self-praise, a senior official from the presidential office responded, "I think he will reveal it whenever there is an opportunity. I believe the most important thing in governance is direction when it comes to change." The official added, "This applies to diplomacy and security, the economy, and social policies. We have tried to correct policies where the previous administration set the wrong direction, and I believe changes have occurred in that process."

The official continued, "If you consider the directions of foreign and security policies or economic policies between the previous and current administrations, you will feel that bigger changes are happening in direction than in the achievements mentioned earlier," adding, "The government will continue to strive to ensure that such changes further improve the lives of the people during the term."

Earlier, after the media preview event at Yongsan Children’s Park, President Yoon told the press at a luncheon, "Before I knew it, I was receiving criticism and encouragement, and I wondered when the first year would come, but it has already arrived." He said, "Where the pace of change has been slow, we will speed up in the next year, and where the direction of change needs adjustment, we will make those adjustments." Regarding the first anniversary press conference, he said, "I am thinking about it," emphasizing, "I instructed my aides that there must be absolutely no self-praising first anniversary. Such an event would be disrespectful to the people."

Meanwhile, regarding the death of a Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) official who self-immolated the day before Labor Day, and the labor sector’s claim that it was due to excessive government investigation, a senior presidential office official said, "First, I offer my condolences to the deceased and express sympathy to the family. It is a very unfortunate incident. I hope such tragic events will never happen again."

The official added, "There are various social discussions on labor-management and labor issues, and I hope society will make efforts so that this can be an opportunity to establish a reasonable labor-management culture."

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