(Unofficial Translation) I am pleased to meet you all. It is very reassuring to see many from the ruling party joining us today. In April when we were in the throes of the COVID-19 crisis, I unveiled an initiative to implement the Korean New Deal as a national development strategy. The announcement reflected our ...

Nov 16, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Honorable Chair, Excellencies, In particular, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Prime Minister Suga of Japan. The 1997 East Asian financial crisis gave us an invaluable experience. We learned that one country’s crisis became its neighbor’s crisis, and we realized how imp...

Nov 14, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) It’s a great pleasure to meet you all. Last year in Busan, we committed to the 2nd Mekong-ROK Summit, and I am very pleased that today the promise has been kept. I would like to extend my gratitude to Prime Minister Phuc for successfully organizing the 2nd Mekong-ROK Summit. I wis...

Nov 13, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Honorable chair, Your Majesty, and Excellencies, Today, we are making our utmost efforts to protect the health of our people and the economy against COVID-19. I find it very fortunate that the ASEAN-ROK Summit is held at a time when we are in need of closer solidarity and cooperation. I&r...

Nov 12, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Fellow Koreans and farmers, Everyone has been working very hard this year. Farms might have suffered indescribable damage to a full range of crops – vegetables, flowers and fruit – due to school lunch programs being halted and other events impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as the...

Nov 11, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) I extend my congratulations, together with the Korean people, to U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden on his election. I hope that President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will unite the United States and lead a successful administration. As a friend like no other and a reliabl...

Nov 09, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Fellow Koreans, the 150,000 career firefighters across the country and volunteer firefighters, Today marks the first Fire Service Day since all career firefighters have been reclassified as civil servants under the central Government. It is especially meaningful to hold this ceremony her...

Nov 06, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Congratulations on the opening of Jeju Forum 2020. Your Excellencies, former Heads of State, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Distinguished experts from various fields, thank you all for joining us virtually today. Dear Ambassadors and Distinguished guests participati...

Nov 06, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) The world should move toward “carbon neutrality” together as a joint response to the climate crisis. Countries across the globe are declaring carbon neutrality as the inevitable choice for a sustainable earth. At the forefront of this cause, the European Union announced last year...

Nov 03, 2020

(Unofficial Translation) Two professionals are joining today’s meeting – Incheon Medical Center Director Jo Seung-yeon and Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University College of Medicine. Thank you. The newly appointed Senior Secretary to the President for Jobs is also attending for the first time to...

Nov 02, 2020