By Kim Young Deok and Yoon Sojung
President Moon Jae-in on July 8 said, "The international community must work together to overcome the crisis in a way that reduces inequality and bridges disparities."
In a video message sent to the International Labor Organization Global Summit on COVID-19 and the World of Work, he said, "Korea is determined to protect existing jobs and create new ones by embarking on the path to mutual prosperity."
"Even though Korea was one of the first countries hit by COVID-19 and subsequent employment shock, we decided to embark on the path of mutual prosperity to overcome the crisis."
"Korean workers, employers and the government came together and reached an agreement on 'The Tripartite Declaration on Overcoming COVID-19,'" the president added. "The parties agreed to make joint efforts to retain employees instead of laying them off by making full use of working hour reduction and leave of absence schemes."
He also announced his administration's plan for an employment safety net to bolster job security.
"We are determined to further strengthen the employment safety net in order to prevent history from repeating itself," the president said, referring to previous economic crises during which inequality worsened in Korea.
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