Yoon: "We Must Eradicate Fraud and Corruption That Undermine Social Integration"

Attendance at the 'Bareuge Salgi Movement National Members' Conference'... Emphasizing the Establishment of Legal Order and Calling for Great Unity
Support Rate Rebounds Amid Ongoing Field Activities... Emphasizing Policy Support for the Livelihood Economy

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Daegu on the 7th and stated, "We must eradicate corruption and dishonesty that hinder social integration to create an honest and healthy society." Following his recent tours of Saudi Arabia and Qatar last month, President Yoon, who has been visiting various sites daily, focused this time on a message of national unity based on the establishment of law and order.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon attended the '2023 National Members' Convention of the Barun Society Movement' held at Daegu EXCO, encouraging the nationwide members of the Barun Society Movement. This is the second time a sitting president has attended the event since former President Kim Dae-jung in 1999, with the movement having been established in 1989.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is saluting the national flag at the 2023 National Members' Convention of the Barun Living Movement held at Daegu EXCO on the 7th. From the front row, right side: Kwak Dae-hoon, Chairman of the Saemaeul Movement Central Association; Lim Jun-taek, Chairman of the Barun Living Movement Central Council; President Yoon; Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu; Kim Ki-hyun, Leader of the People Power Party; Kang Dae-sik, Member of the National Assembly.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

At the event, President Yoon said, "The Barun Society Movement has achieved a warm society and national unity centered on the three core spirits of truth, order, and harmony," and evaluated it as "a national consciousness reform movement that improves the quality of life and a movement to create a righteous society by eradicating lies and corruption." He emphasized the need to eradicate corruption and dishonesty that hinder social integration through the Barun Society Movement to build an honest and healthy society.

The Presidential Office attaches great significance to President Yoon’s continuous on-site activities. This was the first time President Yoon attended the event in person; last year, he sent a message through a reading, pledging, "I ask you to unite efforts to embrace harmony and cohesion in local communities, and the government will actively support your activities." However, this time, he visited the site directly to strengthen efforts to create a righteous society.

The day before, President Yoon visited Dongtan Station in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, to inspect the GTX-A line site, scheduled to open in March next year. At the site, President Yoon promised to enhance the convenience of public transportation for citizens and mentioned the government’s policy direction of "stabilizing housing prices through the dispersion of housing demand."

He has also been delivering messages daily to support the stable economic activities of ordinary citizens. Regarding the recent temporary full ban on short selling announced by financial authorities last weekend, the Presidential Office conveyed President Yoon’s determination to "eradicate illegal short selling and market manipulation using short selling." Earlier this month, he presided over an emergency economic and livelihood meeting on-site, warning against monopolistic behaviors by Kakao and banks.

Regarding the controversy over the reduction of the research and development (R&D) budget during the government budget formulation process, President Yoon personally intervened, stating, "We will boldly invest in truly necessary fields and significantly increase the R&D budget during my term." Although the R&D budget was reduced for the first time this year, the adjustment was made to ensure funds are actually invested in R&D rather than serving as supplementary allowances, with plans to increase the budget in the future.

President Yoon’s actions appear to be reflected in the national approval ratings. Following a public opinion poll last weekend showing President Yoon’s approval rating nearing 40%, another survey released the day before indicated a two-week consecutive upward trend. Both surveys cited on-site activities and the National Assembly policy speech as reasons for the rise in approval ratings.