[President Yoon's Press Conference] Yoon: "Mobilizing National Capabilities to Overcome Low Birthrate" [Full Text]

2nd Anniversary Live National Report on Inauguration
Yoon "Will Open an Era Centered on Common People and the Middle Class"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 9th, a day before his second anniversary in office, during the 'Live National Report' that "First, to overcome the national emergency of low birth rates, we will mobilize all national capabilities."

He announced the establishment of a provisional 'Low Birth Response Planning Department,' a planning ministry to prepare for low birth rates and aging, to formulate policies encompassing education, labor, and welfare, aiming to elevate the issue beyond simple welfare policy to a national agenda.

He also promised to open an era centered on the "working class and middle class" while explaining the future economic vision.

President Yoon conducted the report in his office for about 21 minutes and then proceeded to the briefing room to hold a press conference with the press corps.

Below is the full text of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's 2-year national report

On the 9th, citizens at Seoul Station are watching the live broadcast of President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2nd anniversary inauguration press conference. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Dear fellow citizens, hello, this is the President.

These days have been very difficult, haven't they? Spring is deepening, but the hardships of people's livelihoods are not easily resolved, which weighs heavily on my heart and makes me feel apologetic.

The past two years have had their hardships, but there have also been many rewarding moments.

When I heard the heartbreaking complaints of citizens I met on the ground, my heart ached and I felt a great sense of responsibility.

When I was able to resolve even one of the things you earnestly wished for, I was as happy as if it were my own matter. Together with you, the people, I have laughed and cried, running tirelessly over the past two years.

Today, I would like to report to you on the government's management and policy implementation over the past two years and share the plans for the next three years of governance.

During this time, the government has focused on establishing market (economic) principles and sound fiscal policies, transforming the structure of our economy toward private-sector-led growth.

We have worked to manage national debt stably to strengthen the economic fundamentals and maintain national creditworthiness.

We have strived to revive growth engines by reforming killer regulations that hindered corporate investment.

Efforts have been made to create quality private-sector jobs rather than one-off jobs created by fiscal spending.

We have worked to normalize the real estate market by easing punitive taxation that burdened both landlords and tenants.

Through global pivotal nation diplomacy, South Korea's diplomatic horizons have greatly expanded.

Through active sales diplomacy, including over 150 summit meetings, we have worked to expand the playground for our companies from a market of 50 million to 8 billion people.

We have strived to expand economic territory through nuclear power plant exports, defense exports, and K-content exports.

Additionally, based on nuclear deterrence, we have built true peace through strength.

Last April, the Washington Declaration upgraded the Korea-US alliance to a nuclear-based security alliance, and the Korea-US global comprehensive strategic alliance is now in operation.

We have resumed Korea-US joint exercises and established the Korean-style three-axis system, dramatically strengthening our defense capabilities to deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The Korea-US alliance has expanded beyond a security alliance to an advanced technology alliance, greatly supporting our industrial competitiveness. Our companies benefit from the US semiconductor law and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and close economic cooperation between Korea and the US helps maintain our external creditworthiness stably.

Furthermore, the newly established Korea-US-Japan cooperation system will not only strengthen our security but also expand economic opportunities.

Meanwhile, the government has strengthened protection for socially vulnerable groups in need by raising the basic livelihood allowance to the highest level ever.

We have expanded service welfare with high public demand, including care and nursing, creating jobs and achieving a virtuous cycle of growth and welfare.

We have also reformed employment inheritance so that young people can plan a better future.

To prevent economic disparities from leading to educational gaps, we are expanding scholarships, supporting education expenses, and assisting with jobs, housing, and asset formation.

Balanced national development is the driving force of national growth.

Just as a good soccer game requires a wide field, the country must utilize every corner of our land for development.

The government is implementing balanced development policies where regions discover their comparative advantage industries and receive support from the central government.

We have worked to ensure fair transportation accessibility for all regions of the country, including roads and railways.

The labor market has also been boldly reformed; while legitimate labor movements are actively guaranteed, illegal acts are strictly dealt with to establish labor-management rule of law.

As a result, the number of lost workdays due to strikes and the duration of disputes have been drastically reduced to about one-third of previous governments' levels.

This outcome benefits both labor and management.

We are actively promoting 'public care,' where the state takes responsibility for childcare and education.

We are expanding Neulbom Schools nationwide, where parents can entrust their children with peace of mind and children spend safe and beneficial time.

To ensure that infants and toddlers receive quality education and care services without discrimination, we have unified the management system of kindergartens and daycare centers under the Ministry of Education.

This puts an end to nearly 30 years of controversy over management authorities.

We have strengthened the foundation of advanced industries and begun creating the world's largest semiconductor mega cluster worth 622 trillion won.

Construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 nuclear power plants has resumed, and the collapsed nuclear power ecosystem has been restored through rapid supply of work and financial support.

Restoring the nuclear power ecosystem will not only strengthen our industrial competitiveness but also serve as a foundation for entering the international nuclear power market worth hundreds of trillions of won.

The government is currently pursuing medical reform to protect the health and lives of the people.

While expanding medical school quotas, efforts are being made to ensure that the increased number of doctors can handle essential medical care through fair compensation systems, regional medical support systems, and medical accident safety nets.

Dear citizens,

Over the past two years, my government and I have devoted ourselves to urgent livelihood policies and social reforms. However, our efforts have fallen short in changing your lives.

In the next three years, my government and I will listen more carefully to the voices of the people and take better care of livelihoods.

We will work harder with the people to boost the economy and open a new future for South Korea.

Fortunately, signs of economic recovery are emerging in various places.

Recently, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) revised South Korea's growth rate for this year upward to 2.6%.

This is the highest level among G20 countries with per capita income exceeding $20,000.

Standard & Poor's, one of the world's three major credit rating agencies, forecasts that our per capita GDP will exceed $40,000 by 2026.

This is an achievement made by the people, companies, and government working together.

If we continue to maintain the trend of private-sector-led economic growth by pooling our efforts, a per capita income of $50,000 will not be a dream.

If the nation falls into the quagmire of low growth, social mobility becomes difficult, and social polarization becomes entrenched.

If we fail to overcome class conflicts caused by polarization, our democracy will face a crisis. Only when national income rises can the level of freedom and welfare enjoyed by the people be dramatically improved.

To lead South Korea on the path of growth, we will further enhance the dynamism of our economy and actively pursue policies to resolve polarization.

First, to overcome the national emergency of low birth rates, we will mobilize all national capabilities.

We will make it easier and more sufficient to take maternity and parental leave, and the government will firmly support the resulting corporate burdens.

We will institutionalize flexible working hours during childcare periods, such as staggered commuting and selectable working hours, to create a solid environment for work and childcare coexistence.

We will also ensure that our children do not have to wait to attend kindergartens and daycare centers.

Including the expansion of win-win daycare centers and public daycare centers, we will drastically improve the quality of daycare centers and expand their coverage.

Along with this, we will actively improve the treatment of childcare teachers to create an environment where parents can entrust their children anytime with peace of mind.

We will devise effective measures to drastically reduce the housing burden on childbirth households.

To address one of the causes of low birth rates, unnecessary excessive competition in our society, we will vigorously promote regional balanced development policies and social structural reforms.

To properly lead these policies, we will establish a provisional 'Low Birth Response Planning Department,' a planning ministry to prepare for low birth rates and aging.

The minister of the Low Birth Response Planning Department will serve as the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, formulating policies encompassing education, labor, and welfare, elevating the issue beyond simple welfare policy to a national agenda.

We ask for the National Assembly's active cooperation in amending the Government Organization Act to establish the 'Low Birth Response Planning Department.'

Furthermore, we will open an era centered on the working class and middle class, enabling the working class to rise to the middle class and the middle class to enjoy a more prosperous life.

While enhancing economic dynamism and fairness, we will firmly rebuild the ladder of social mobility through expanded educational opportunities.

To this end, welfare policies and market policies will be pursued as one, not separately.

We will increase social mobility through employment and welfare policies and strengthen the middle class through industrial and market policies.

Those who have fallen behind in competition will also be supported by the state.

We will raise the support level and expand the target for livelihood benefits to improve the lives of the most vulnerable.

Supporting socially vulnerable groups is essential for the virtuous cycle of growth and welfare.

If the state takes responsibility for supporting the elderly or sick family members, those engaged in economic activities can work more comfortably and diligently.

If the state helps those who have experienced failure to return to economic activities, it will be a great benefit to the entire nation.

This is precisely the role of the state.

Regarding labor-management issues, our government's goal is to move away from the old perspective of viewing them as class conflicts and to make them practically helpful to both labor and management.

When companies grow through tax support and regulatory innovation, many good jobs are created for workers, and as wage income increases, both companies and workers win-win.

The government will properly support our companies to create more jobs and higher wages,

and will meticulously check and confirm whether government support works properly on the ground and benefits workers fairly.

Although we have emerged from the tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic, small business owners and self-employed people still face difficulties due to decreased sales and high-interest burdens.

We will prepare active support measures, including expanding policy funds and easing interest burdens.

The government will more strongly promote policies centered on the working class and middle class to achieve tangible changes in people's livelihoods.

In the era of ten million elderly citizens, we will also take more meticulous care of the elderly's lives.

We will raise the basic pension payment level to 400,000 won during the term.

While expanding jobs for the elderly, we will strengthen nursing and care systems to enable a "vibrant and comfortable life for the elderly."

Additionally, we will significantly strengthen support for the most severely developmentally disabled people in care blind spots and implement a demand-centered personal budget system for the disabled.

Dear citizens, I have personally confirmed difficulties on the ground and have worked to resolve them, but

amid global high inflation, high interest rates, and high oil prices, we have not been able to solve all livelihood difficulties, and the pace of policy has fallen far short of your expectations.

In the next three years, we will delve deeper into the lives of the people.

We will listen to public opinion on the ground and actively discover and implement policy agendas centered on the needs of the people.

We will boldly break down walls between government ministries and even within departments to have public officials from various fields work together to quickly solve livelihood issues.

We will take more meticulous and diligent care to ensure that government efforts lead to real changes in people's livelihoods.

Dear citizens, for the government to work better for people's livelihoods, cooperation from the National Assembly is essential.

We will increase communication with ruling and opposition parties and strengthen collaboration in livelihood areas.

I also have a request for the National Assembly.

I believe public sentiment demands that political parties stop partisan strife and work together with the government for people's livelihoods.

The expansion of the tax-free limit for Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) under the 'Restriction of Special Taxation Act' and the abolition of the financial investment income tax under the 'Income Tax Act' are bills that many citizens have earnestly wished for.

There are also urgent bills to overcome the national issue of low birth rates, including the 'Childcare Support Act,' which introduces a national qualification system for childcare providers to ensure children can be entrusted safely.

The amendment of the Government Organization Act to establish the provisional 'Low Birth Response Planning Department' also urgently requires the National Assembly's cooperation.

I ask the opposition parties to join forces to improve the lives of the people.

Now is our 'high time.'

We must not miss this important moment to relaunch our economy and open new paths in diplomacy.

There is a mountain of tasks that must be done right now. If politics continues to fuel conflicts between camps while postponing what must be done, the country's future and the people's livelihoods will inevitably be bleak.

Moreover, this is precisely the crisis of democracy.

In a liberal democratic country, politics exists to solve policy tasks and livelihood issues that determine the nation's future.

We should carefully examine how advanced countries' governments and parliaments mediate conflicts among interest groups and resolve national agendas and livelihood issues through consultation structures, and change our working methods to meet global standards. I will start by changing what needs to be changed in myself and the government. I will also actively increase communication and cooperation with the National Assembly.

Dear citizens, despite the difficulties over the past two years, I sincerely thank you for trusting and running alongside the government.

I will humbly take to heart any criticism and reproach directed at me and the government.

With all my strength, I will devote myself solely to solving livelihood difficulties and opening a new future for South Korea.

Thank you.

[Image source=Yonhap News]