President Lee Jae Myung on Oct. 15 speaks at a meeting of his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae. (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Xu Aiying

President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to put housing, employment and finance atop his administration's national agenda for the rest of this year.

"Now is the time for comprehensive efforts to ensure that the economy's achievements as a whole translate into tangible results in the life of every citizen," he told a meeting of his senior secretaries on Oct. 15 at Cheong Wa Dae. "For the remainder of this year, Cheong Wa Dae and the government must place these three key social policies atop the national agenda and do everything to implement initiatives in each field."

"The Korean economy is seeing remarkable results in various sectors," he added. "If this momentum continues, there's a strong possibility that Korea will become the world's sixth country among those with a population of over 50 million to surpass per capita income of USD 40,000."

"Despite strong results in key indicators, the pace of recovery in the people's livelihoods has not met public expectations," he said. "The real-life difficulties people face in their daily lives have apparently not improved much."

Thus President Lee urged the acceleration of more housing supply tailored to each life stage and the swift launch of a national project for job creation that includes initiatives in both the private and public sectors.

On financial policy, he stressed more attention to alleviating the negative effects of rising interest rates such as policy-based funding, interest rate relief and customized debt restructuring.

Marking the 500th day of his "people's sovereignty" administration, he said, "Korea stands at a major crossroads of profound transformation," adding, "At a time like this, we need even more humility to listen to the people's will, dedicate efforts to improving their lives and pave the way for a brighter future for the nation."

xuaiy@korea.kr