Prime Minister Jeong: "Overcoming Virus Requires International Cooperation and Solidarity"

6th Thursday Dialogue Held... Emphasizing the Value of 'Democracy and Global Solidarity and Cooperation'

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held the 6th Thursday Dialogue on the afternoon of the 4th at Samcheongdang, the Seoul official residence, with experts in the public and international relations fields, the Prime Minister's Office announced.

This Thursday Dialogue, themed "Preparing for a New Normal after the Novel Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19)," was the final session of a six-part relay meeting by sector, providing an opportunity to exchange opinions with experts in public and international relations.

At the event, Prime Minister Chung said, "The mature civic consciousness of our people and the government's democratic response transformed the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity for the maturation of democracy," adding, "We have learned the lesson that enhancing transparency, openness, and reliability to strengthen democracy is the way to increase national competitiveness."

He continued, "The government will not neglect institutional reviews and self-innovation efforts to ensure democratic mechanisms function well in all policy processes," and urged, "Enterprises, schools, and civil society organizations should also take the lead in ensuring democratic principles are well implemented across all sectors of society."

Prime Minister Chung also emphasized, "Internationally, amid growing conflicts and divisions such as nationalism and strengthened new protectionism, cooperation and solidarity in the international community are more important than ever to overcome the global crisis caused by the virus," and stressed, "We must actively lead international cooperation and solidarity by leveraging our diplomatic assets and elevated international status built through K-quarantine as stepping stones."

The first presentation was given by Professor Jung Ji-beom of the Department of Urban Environmental Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), on the topic "Direction of Disaster Management after COVID-19."

Professor Jung stated, "In an uncertain era where various unexpected disasters occur, a 'resilience-centered national disaster management strategy' is needed, focusing not on disaster prevention but on quickly adapting to changed environments and recovering communities to a better state."

He also proposed measures to strengthen government response capabilities for the era of normalized disasters, including ▲ enhancing the continuous risk exploration function of the Blue House and Prime Minister's Office ▲ forming rapid crisis response teams through public-private cooperation ▲ and establishing routine operational plans for the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters as an example of inter-ministerial collaboration.

Following this, Professor Kim Heung-gyu of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Ajou University presented on "Changes and Responses in International Relations after COVID-19," stating, "Although a chaotic period is expected with intensified conflicts and competition among countries in economic, security, and technological fields without a new vision for the world order after COVID-19, Korea is presented with not only crises but also opportunities," and added, "It is necessary to create Korean models such as democratization, K-POP, and K-quarantine through creative and flexible attitudes and balanced thinking."

Prime Minister Chung said, "The Thursday Dialogue is a place prepared to freely exchange diverse opinions from various sectors regardless of the government's position," and added, "We will continue to listen to and communicate candid opinions from all walks of society through the weekly Thursday Dialogues."