Prime Minister Han: "Labor, Education, and Pension Reforms Are Most Important... Will Create Definitive Change"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is speaking regarding the handling of the tax law amendment bill, which was on the agenda, while attending an extraordinary Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of December 29 last year.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo emphasized that the three major reforms in labor, education, and pensions are of utmost importance as we enter the new year, stating, "This year, based on the achievements so far, we will make it a year of 'definite change.'"

At the government’s opening ceremony held at the Government Seoul Office on the 2nd, Prime Minister Han said, "The reform tasks necessary for the sustainability and future leap of the Republic of Korea must be completed."

He added, "To enhance Korea’s potential growth capacity and the competitiveness of future generations, the three major reforms in labor, education, and pensions are crucial. Based on the foundation of labor law and order achieved through measures such as preventing illegal strikes and reforming opaque accounting practices, we will surely succeed in labor reform tasks, including securing labor market flexibility."

He continued, "We will also swiftly promote education reform tasks to nurture future talents and strengthen national competitiveness," and said, "We will steadily proceed with discussions on pension reform plans that previous administrations have not been able to tackle."

Prime Minister Han stated, "We will accelerate medical reform to revive regional and essential healthcare," adding, "We will focus on discussing medical innovation plans such as expanding the number of doctors and rationalizing the medical accident handling system, and push them forward with a sense of urgency."

In particular, Prime Minister Han pointed out population structure changes as the greatest threat undermining sustainable growth in our society and emphasized that special measures will be prepared.

He said, "Our country’s total fertility rate is already at the world’s lowest level, and the decline in birth rates and the speed of aging are progressing at an unprecedented pace," adding, "Now is the last golden time to respond to the population crisis. We will devise special measures that are distinctly different from before at the whole-of-government level."

He also announced a policy to build a society of integration and trust.

Prime Minister Han said, "Our country’s social trust level is considerably low compared to its economic scale and national status," and added, "The government will strive to eradicate illegal acts based on the principles of the rule of law and to build social trust capital."

He went on, "We will focus the government’s capabilities on protecting the lives and property of the people, which is the state’s fundamental duty, and ensuring safety from crime and disasters," explaining, "We will establish a transparent and fair national administrative system and devote considerable effort to innovation for trust in the public sector."

Regarding the general election in April, he said, "Please do your best to manage the election fairly so that it becomes the flower of democracy," and urged, "Strictly observe the political neutrality obligation of public officials and establish public service discipline."