President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 21 responds to questions from a panel comprising ordinary people at the Open Hall of KBS in the Yeouido region of Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Hyelin and Lee Jihae

President Moon Jae-in on Nov. 21 called the rise in national status thanks to the country's response to COVID-19 the biggest achievement of his administration.

He said this in the afternoon during a town hall meeting with the public held live for 100 minutes at the Open Hall of KBS in the Yeouido area of Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District.

In addition to the economy, the president said Korea is recognized as being in the global top 10 in all fields including democracy, response to COVID-19, health and medicine, culture, national defense, diplomacy and international cooperation thanks to higher national status.

On the pandemic, he said vaccinations abroad proceeded much faster than in Korea but showed limits in vaccination rate, adding that certain countries that returned to everyday life due to a high vaccination rate have since reinstated lockdowns due to a surge in infections.

The president said many in Korea got vaccinated though it was not mandatory and complied well with quarantine measures, adding that he was confident of the nation overcoming COVID-19 better than any other country.

Due to its response to COVID-19, the chief executive said, Korea has achieved remarkable results that have earned global attention and recognition, with the people behind such achievements. He thanked those who cooperated and all quarantine and medical staff for their hard work.

President Moon said the evaluation of Korea ranking in the top ten in all fields is not the nation's own subjective take but an objective opinion made worldwide.

He said such an achievement was not the incumbent administration's alone but also stemmed from a combination of the results of previous administrations, but that in the end, it was derived from achievements by the people over a long period.

President Moon said the government will do its best to successfully fulfill state affairs until the end to improve quality of life for the people in line with the country's status.

The town hall meeting was the first of its kind since the last one on Nov. 19, 2019. Held under the theme "Quarantine and Public Livelihood Economy Related to the COVID-19 Crisis" (unofficial translation), the event featured a panel of 300 people selected based on gender, age and region who participated on- or offline.

kimhyelin211@korea.kr