President Yoon Suk Yeol (C) presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on Jan. 9, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for prioritizing the improvement of people’s livelihoods in the new year, listing increased support for vulnerable groups and new transportation systems as some of the government’s latest projects.
Yoon issued the call during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office as he noted the government’s efforts to “change the direction” of the country during the 20 months since he took office and the need to accelerate progress.
“There is a pile of tasks the government needs to tackle quickly, including stabilizing people’s livelihoods, restoring economic vitality, the top three structural reforms in labor, education and pensions, addressing the low birth rate, and balanced development across regions,” he said.
“It is also important to firmly defend our security against North Korea’s provocations that have begun since the start of the year and expand diplomacy for jobs.”
Yoon reiterated his call for breaking down “walls” between ministries to increase efficiency, saying this year’s annual ministry policy briefings were expanded to include members of the public so that the government and the people could look for solutions to challenges together.
“Above all, we must make the new year 2024 a year of the recovery of people’s livelihoods,” he said.
Yoon listed a set of new policies that he said will be of direct help to the people as they take effect this year, including a mobile app that will let people take out home equity loans under more favorable conditions, increased subsidies for the socially weak and the introduction of after-school programs at all elementary schools in the second semester.
In March, the GTX-A commuter rail network will enter service, connecting Suseo Station in Seoul’s Gangnam Ward with Dongtan Station in Hwaseong, 45 kilometers south of the capital, while in May, a new transportation card will be launched, easing traffic and reducing costs for commuters, he said.
“But however good a policy is, if the people are not able to benefit from it because they are unaware, that policy is as good as nonexistent,” Yoon said.
“We must think hard about which information we will deliver to the people, and where and how, from the perspective of the people.”
Yoon further called for thorough preparations ahead of the Jan. 19 opening of the Winter Youth Olympics in the eastern Gangwon Province.
(Yonhap)
