Presidential Office "Additional Work Commencement Order... Decision After Meeting of Relevant Ministers"

Possibility of Holding an Extraordinary Cabinet Meeting on the Morning of the 8th, Potential Additional Work Commencement Orders for Steel and Others

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Regarding the Cargo Solidarity general strike, the Presidential Office stated on the 7th that "if it is judged to cause a serious crisis to the national economy, an additional work commencement order can be issued at any time." To this end, they are discussing holding an extraordinary Cabinet meeting on the 8th, and the outline is expected to be finalized at the situation review meeting of related ministers chaired by Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Choo Kyung-ho at the Government Seoul Office.

A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and said, "In this meeting, we will closely examine the damage to industries such as steel, refining, and petrochemicals, and if it is judged that the current situation could cause a serious crisis to the national economy, an additional work commencement order can be issued at any time," adding, "An extraordinary Cabinet meeting will be decided based on the discussion content."

As of now, there is a high possibility that an extraordinary Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow morning, chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo. This is based on the judgment that while the refining sector has returned to normal shipment levels, the steel sector is experiencing increasing damage. The steel industry is also considering reducing production if inventory accumulates due to decreased shipments.

At the Cabinet meeting held on the 6th at the Government Sejong Office, chaired by the Prime Minister, the agenda regarding an additional work commencement order was not presented. Although the work commencement order requires Cabinet deliberation as an administrative procedure, the meeting only involved related ministers reporting on the damage situation and response strategies regarding the Cargo Solidarity general strike. President Yoon also received only a report on the damage situation caused by the strike at the Yongsan Presidential Office building at the same time.