New Year's Meeting of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Without a President This Year

January 4 Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry 'New Year Meeting' Held Online and Offline
Attendance Limited Due to COVID-19 Spread

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) will limit the number of attendees at the 2022 New Year's Greeting Event due to the spread of COVID-19. The New Year's Greeting Event is the largest event in the economic sector, and this is the first time that KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won will participate as the host. President Moon Jae-in will not attend this year either, and Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum is scheduled to deliver a greeting.

According to the KCCI on the 2nd, only one representative or executive at the vice president level or higher from each company or institution will attend the New Year's Greeting Event to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Attendees must be either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or, if unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, must present a negative result from a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The KCCI plans to broadcast the event live on YouTube.

At the New Year's Greeting Event, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and KCCI Chairman Chey Tae-won are expected to deliver greetings. Most past presidents have attended the KCCI New Year's events. There have only been three occasions when the president did not attend the New Year's event: in 1984, 2007, and 2017. President Moon Jae-in has not attended the KCCI New Year's events since taking office.

The KCCI New Year's Greeting Event is the largest economic event to mark the beginning of the new year. Other economic organizations such as the Federation of Korean Industries and the Korea Employers Federation have not held separate New Year's events and have participated in the KCCI event. This gathering includes not only figures from the economic sector but also representatives from politics, government, and labor sectors, who exchange greetings.