(Unofficial Translation)

I extend my profound respect and gratitude once again to our great people who are enduring many inconveniences due to physical distancing in order to defeat COVID-19 but narrowing the distance between our hearts further than at any time before.

As a result of pooling everyone’s efforts with the infectious disease prevention and control authorities playing a pivotal role, confidence is growing that we can prevail on the frontlines of infectious disease prevention and control. Our national standing is also rising as the international community recognizes what our infectious disease prevention and control measures have accomplished.

The application of the principles of transparency, openness and democracy in combination with advanced infectious disease prevention and control methods is becoming the international standard. A surge in the export of diagnostic kits and other “made in Korea” infectious disease prevention and control supplies is stoking a “Korean Wave” in related goods and services as well.

The general election we are currently holding is also of keen interest to the international community. If the success of our infectious disease prevention and control efforts hold up during a fiercely contested nationwide election, we will be able to give the international community hope that a return to normal social systems and day-to-day activities is possible.

In that sense, I must say once again that I respect the collective intelligence of our citizens who have set a record turnout in early voting in order to ease the burden on the election-connected infectious disease prevention and control efforts.

The accomplishments achieved to date are considerable but this is still no time to be complacent. More than anything else, the biggest enemy from within is negligence. There is every chance that carelessness can make our hard work and accomplishments so far go up in smoke in an instant. We can win the battle for the high ground if we pull together a little bit more, encourage one another and do not become exhausted even though it is strenuous. The strength that can lead us to a victory in this war lies exclusively in our people.

Infectious disease prevention and control is the starting point of the economy as well. If it fails, the wheels of the economy cannot be fully restored. Many institutions predict that major global economies will have significant negative growth this year. Our economy cannot help but suffer a blow as well.

However, the achievements we’ve made through our infectious disease prevention and control measures are helping alleviate the damage to our economy compared to other countries. If we can further firm up this trend and stabilize the COVID-19 situation one step ahead of other countries, we will be able to hasten our economic recovery as well.

The Government will respond with even more extraordinary determination. We will do our best to overcome difficulties in the economy as we strive to solidify the concrete accomplishments of our infectious disease prevention and control efforts and quickly enter the stabilization phase.

The biggest concern while weathering difficult and demanding times is employment. Some countries are already experiencing mass unemployment. In Korea, the rise in the number of employment insurance subscribers has dropped sharply, and the number of applicants for unemployment benefits has begun to increase drastically. The present may be the start of the suffering. We should devise exceptional countermeasures in a timely manner.

In the face of this economic crisis, the Government will focus its policy capabilities on safeguarding jobs. For economic recovery, jobs are both the beginning and the end. If employment collapses, the lives of the people will crumble, and the resultant social costs will be beyond description. Money spent on maintaining employment is not money wasted. Rather, it’s a productive investment in the future that reduces expenses if the welfare costs that must be spent on those who lose jobs are considered.

At our fifth Emergency Economic Council meeting, we are going to take up employment issues. Since there’s an election this week, I ask you to prepare for that meeting next week. The biggest emphasis should be placed on helping businesses retain employment despite difficulties. We should not repeat the experience from the 1997 financial crisis when many jobs were lost. Management, labor and the Government must jointly find ways to save businesses and jobs simultaneously without fail.

I call on you to come up with bolder and more proactive measures with the Government taking the initiative to review those measures that give maximum support to businesses that retain employees. I also ask the Economic, Social and Labor Council and other government committees to make extraordinary efforts.

While the number of employment insurance subscribers has significantly increased since my Administration was launched and the employment safety net has been drastically strengthened, there are still many blind spots with regard to employment insurance. I urge you to devote yourselves to devising support measures for those who are not covered by employment insurance and consequently find themselves in blind spots, including the self-employed, platform workers and unconventional workers who are mostly the contract-based self-employed.  

Also needed are countermeasures for those who have lost or will lose their jobs. The public sector has no choice but to play a proactive role. I ask you to prepare various measures such as moving up the date of public projects or temporarily providing emergency jobs.

Everyone is going through hardships. Every stakeholder in the economy should share and jointly overcome difficulties. We should come together especially in a time of crisis. This must be a process of gathering strengths – not fomenting division – presenting better plans and discussing them intensely be they infectious disease prevention and control or economic measures.

Our people are resilient in a crisis. That’s because our DNA drives us to unite even stronger in the face of a crisis. We can do it.

Thank you.