Analysis of Presidential Speech by the National Assembly
Top Mentioned Term: 'Economy'
Overcoming COVID-19 and Complex Crises is the Top Priority
The words most frequently mentioned by President Yoon Suk-yeol in his speeches over the past year were "economy," "people," and "freedom," in that order.
According to a comprehensive analysis of President Yoon Suk-yeol's speeches over the past year conducted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the most frequently used word was "economy," mentioned a total of 557 times, followed by "people" (532 times) and "freedom" (509 times), each mentioned over 500 times. This reflects that economic recovery was the top national agenda amid ongoing COVID-19 recession and the complex crisis of high inflation and high interest rates after the launch of the Yoon administration. Since he declared at his inauguration that he would rebuild a country where the people are the owners, "people" was the second most mentioned word, and "freedom," one of the core values of his governance philosophy, ranked third in frequency.
Other words in the top 10 by frequency included "cooperation" (403 times), "world" (397 times), "industry" (389 times), "nation" (378 times), "together" (353 times), "technology" (351 times), and "support" (341 times).
This analysis targeted 190 presidential speeches delivered at government events, meetings, and briefings held during the first year after inauguration (May 10, 2022 ? May 3, 2023), utilizing data from the Presidential Office and the Korea Policy Briefing website. Words conventionally used in speeches such as "government," "Republic of Korea," and "country" were excluded from the ranking.
11 Economy-Related Terms in the Top 30... Industry, Technology, Enterprises, etc.
The frequently used words largely converged into two fields: "economy" and "international relations." Among the top 30 words, those related to the economy included "industry" (6th place, 389 times), "technology" (9th place, 351 times), "enterprise" (12th place, 296 times), "market" (16th place, 204 times), "innovation" (18th place, 195 times), "investment" (19th place, 187 times), "digital" (22nd place, 178 times), "growth" (24th place, 172 times), "advanced" (26th place, 170 times), and "export" (27th place, 162 times), totaling 11 terms, the highest number.
The second most frequent field within the top 30 was "international relations," emphasizing solidarity and cooperation. "Cooperation" (4th place, 403 times) and "world" (5th place, 397 times) were within the top 10, while "bilateral" (13th place, 287 times), "security" (17th place, 201 times), "Korea-US" (19th place, 187 times), "global" (21st place, 184 times), and "peace" (27th place, 162 times) were also in the top 30. "Korea-Japan" was mentioned 110 times, ranking 53rd.
Other major words within the top 30 included "support" (10th place, 341 times), "society" (11th place, 332 times), "value" (23rd place, 176 times), "democracy" (25th place, 171 times), and "space" (30th place, 157 times). Among words with negative connotations, "crisis" (15th place, 209 times) was included.
Changes in Core Words Over Time... Freedom & People → Economy & Livelihood → Damage & Disaster → Labor → Technology & Industry → Korea-Japan & Korea-US
The core words mentioned in the speeches showed changing patterns according to major issues and periods. In May and June last year, the early months of the administration, the governance philosophy and goals such as "freedom" and "people" appeared frequently, along with words like "COVID-19," "North Korea," and "peace."
In July and August, when the big step hike in the base interest rate and consumer price increases had a significant impact, words like "economy," "livelihood," "interest rate," and "burden" newly entered the top 30. In August and September, when heavy rains and the super typhoon "Hinnamnor" passed, "damage" ranked high, and "disaster" appeared for the first time.
In November, "space" and "defense industry" appeared, and in December, when issues such as the Cargo Solidarity strike work commencement order and labor market recommendations arose, "labor" newly appeared, ranking joint 10th.
In January and February this year, "technology" ranked 2nd and 1st respectively, showing high frequency. It was frequently mentioned in New Year's addresses, ministry work reports, and dialogues with businesspeople, and technology cooperation was emphasized during overseas visits to the UAE, Switzerland, and others. In March, April, and May this year, due to visits to Japan and the US, "Korea-Japan," "Japan," "Korea-US," and "United States" ranked high.
Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated, "Considering that the president's words imply the direction and agenda of government policies, this analysis confirmed the government's efforts and determination to overcome the crisis situations our economy faced over the past year. With challenges such as declining export competitiveness and lowering potential growth rates piling up, I hope messages that can gather national capabilities across the economic sector will continue to emerge."
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