(Unofficial Translation)

At today’s meeting, we have two outside experts with us: Chairman Kwon Gi-hong of the Korea Commission for Corporate Partnership and CEO Jeong Jung-gyo of Fresheasy. I believe this is probably the first time that the CEO of a private company is attending a senior secretaries meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. I hope you give us your honest opinion of the corporate sector’s present mood without holding anything back. Let’s welcome them. 

We are getting deeper into summer. My heart is weighed down because our people are not even able to spend their long-awaited vacations free of worries. Despite this situation, they continue to actively cooperate with epidemic prevention and control. I am grateful to our people. In particular, my indescribable appreciation goes to anti-epidemic workers, medical professionals and civil servants on the frontlines who are doing everything they can to contain the spread of COVID-19 in spite of heat waves and the fatigue that has built up. Thanks to their hard work, we are staving off the further spread of COVID-19.   

The coronavirus is getting stronger. The spread of the highly contagious Delta variant has been pushing up the number of confirmed cases worldwide for five weeks in a row. We expected vaccines would provide a solution, but unforeseen developments are arising. Even countries at the forefront of inoculation are seeing their infection rates increase again as soon as they begin to ease anti-epidemic restrictions. What’s worse, the number of breakthrough infections is rising, and those countries are once more tightening their grip on the anti-epidemic frontlines. 

There is still a lot humanity does not know about COVID-19. We have no way of knowing how much the virus will mutate. However, what is obvious now is that even if vaccines cannot prevent infections, vaccinations are essential as they can significantly reduce the percentage of severely and critically ill patients and the case fatality rate. It is also true that the spread of COVID-19 can be curbed only when proper anti-epidemic measures continue to be employed in parallel with inoculations. 

Fortunately, we have sufficiently reliable epidemic control and medical systems. Even at this moment, Korea’s remarkable response to COVID-19 characterized by quickly identifying and treating infected patients is fully at play. More extensive diagnostic testing and rapid epidemiological investigations are being conducted to find the cases of hidden infections as early as possible. We are also doing everything possible to secure residential treatment centers and hospital beds so that confirmed cases can be treated swiftly. With the strength of Korea’s response to COVID-19 continuing to hold and the vaccinations of the elderly and other high-risk groups completed, we are showing one of the world’s lowest case fatality rates. The Government will continue to thoroughly protect the lives and safety of the people. On that foundation, we will do everything we can to stem the spread of COVID-19 and turn the situation around as quickly as possible.
 
Meanwhile, the best efforts will be made to speed up vaccinations. Tomorrow, the number of those who have received their first dose will exceed 20 million. The plan to provide 36 million people with their first shots by September is proceeding without any disruption. We will strive to move up the date to achieve the goal before the Chuseok break.
 
From next week, scheduling a vaccination will begin for more than 17 million people in their 20s to 40s. The reservation system will be improved to complete the scheduling on a large scale in a short period of time. We will also make our best efforts to ensure fair inoculation opportunities while reducing inconveniences with a reservation system that grants people access on dates that end with the last digit of their birth years. Vaccine supply and demand faces uncertainties worldwide, but the doses for our August and September vaccinations will be delivered as planned. The more people we have scheduling a vaccination, the quicker our inoculation will be able to proceed. I ask the people to have faith in the Government and participate in scheduling and inoculations in an active and orderly manner.

The members of our national team are performing well and taking on challenges in a beautiful way at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, greatly comforting and touching our people, who are exhausted by the spread of COVID-19 and scorching heat waves. I am very proud of every one of them; they are trying their best regardless of whether they win or lose or get a medal, pushing themselves to the extreme. I applaud our athletes wholeheartedly for fully showing what genuine sportsmanship is all about. I hope they do their best and stay healthy throughout the entire Olympics.
 
The athletic spirit is grounded in respect and consideration for others. Sports is a fundamental right to be enjoyed freely and equally without discrimination or exclusion for any reason, including nationality, gender, ethnicity, status, economic situation or physical conditions. The Framework Act on Sports, which incorporates that spirit and the purpose behind sports, has passed the National Assembly and will be officially announced at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting. I look forward to this Act providing an opportunity to establish a more mature awareness of sports and related culture in our society. I urge you to push various effective policies that support the Framework Act so that sports can contribute to a healthy and happy life for each and every individual without any restrictions. I believe this is the way for our country to emerge as a genuine sports powerhouse.