(Unofficial Translation) Fellow Koreans and residents of Buan, Gochang and Jeollabuk-do Province, Whenever I visit Jeollabuk-do, I come to admire its beautiful and lush nature. Now, it’s all the more refreshing with a view of the wind farm off the province’s southwestern shore from a ship in the middle of the se...

Jul 17, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Fellow Koreans, The Honorable Speaker Park Byung-seok, The Honorable Deputy Speaker Kim Sang-hee, Distinguished Members of the National Assembly, Together with the people, I would like to offer my congratulations on the opening of the 21st National Assembly. It has been a bumpy ride jus...

Jul 16, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Fellow Koreans, We are fighting an endless war against a virus. However, our people know how to keep the enemy from winning. The safety rules that they practice in their daily lives are the best vaccine against the virus. Korea is overcoming the COVID-19 crisis in an exemplary manner. ...

Jul 14, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) I am glad to meet you all. Japan’s unwarranted export restrictions have been continuing for over a year. There were concerns that those measures would strike a hard blow to our economy. However, the Government, businesses and researchers have joined forces, and the private and public sect...

Jul 09, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) “New and better jobs – pathway to mutual prosperity” The Honorable Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Distinguished Heads of States, representatives of labor and management, I find it very meaningful to take part in the ILO Global Summit on COVID-...

Jul 08, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Let me begin the 35th Cabinet Meeting. Representatives from labor, management and the Government reached a tentative agreement at the meeting convened to help overcome the COVID-19 crisis, but they failed to arrive at a final deal due to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ las...

Jul 07, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) The Government’s third supplementary budget proposal was passed in the National Assembly one month after it was submitted. Even though its passage came later than the Government had hoped, it was indeed fortunate that the proposal was processed during the extraordinary session in June....

Jul 06, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Hello. As everybody knows, exports and domestic demand are the two pillars that shore up our economy. In fact, however, neither is in a good situation. Exports have fallen sharply in April, May and June compared to the same months last year. One silver lining is that the decreases are becomi...

Jul 02, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Your Excellencies President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, I was disappointed to learn that the COVID-19 situation prevented the two of you from making your scheduled visits to Korea last month, but I am nevertheless p...

Jun 30, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world has surpassed 10 million, with the death toll now exceeding 500,000. Even more concerning, the upward trend of new infections worldwide has not abated but is actually increasing. This is not a situation for complacency because infection...

Jun 29, 2020