Yoon urges 'restoration' of public livelihood during first Cabinet meeting of the year

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, salutes the flag at his first Cabinet meeting of the New Year at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday, joined by his ministers. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he would focus on improving the people's livelihood, calling on his aides to promptly carry out government tasks and make a "leap forward" in his first Cabinet meeting of the new year on Tuesday.

"I hope that all ministries will break down their walls in the face of the public and work as one team to swiftly and reliably solve tasks," Yoon said. "Above all, 2024 must be the year of restoration of people's livelihood."

He looked back at his administration's efforts to "change the direction" of the country during the 20 months since he took office and called to "speed along the pace and make the New Year a turning point in Korea's leap forward."

Yoon listed several tasks the government needs to tackle, including stabilizing people's livelihood, restoring economic vitality, carrying out labor, education and pension reforms, responding to low birthrates and enabling a balanced regional development.

Yoon said that the government will reflect the proposed issues in policies and use all its capabilities" to make real changes in the people's lives.

He highlighted the "people's livelihood debates," a series of town hall sessions he held with experts and members of the public on various policies starting last week, as the "first step" of such efforts.

These meetings, tackling issues including the economy, housing and public safety, involved the public in the president's annual policy briefings given by related ministries, which typically occur at the beginning of the year.

During Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Yoon further stressed it is "important to strengthen security against North Korea's provocations that began with the start of the year."

The remarks come after North Korea fired hundreds of artillery rounds into the waters off its western coast over three days since last Friday.

Yoon also noted that "no matter how good a policy is, if the people do not know about it and do not benefit from it, it may just as well not exist."

He said there is a need for "innovation," like in the case of the Chungju city government's official YouTube channel, which has over twice as many subscribers as the city's population.

He praised a young official in charge of public relations for North Chungcheong's Chungju city government who set up the "Chung TV" channel to promote the city's policies "in a novel and fun way." The YouTube channel currently has over half a million subscribers.

Yoon further called for thorough preparations ahead of the opening of the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, which runs from Jan. 19 to Feb. 1.

The event will host 1,900 athletes from 79 nations under the theme of "Grow Together, Shine Forever" and reuse many facilities built for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Yoon ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to "pay special attention to ensure that K-culture can brighten the youth event."

The presidential office also said Tuesday it will formally establish the new position of third deputy national security adviser to oversee economic security on Thursday.

National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin heads the National Security Office (NSO). His first deputy, Kim Tae-hyo, oversees foreign affairs and national security issues, and his second deputy, In Seong-hwan, is in charge of national defense.

Through this reshuffle of the NSO, the third deputy adviser will oversee economic security, science and technology, cyber security and other emerging security issues.

Wang Yun-jong, the current presidential secretary for economic security, has reportedly been named to this new post.

"The reorganization of the NSO for the first time under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration is intended to respond to challenges surrounding our economic security, such as deepening geopolitical and geoeconomic risks, in a timely and effective manner," the presidential office said.

This includes concerns over supply chain disruptions and increasing competition to secure a lead in critical and emerging technologies.

The office noted that strengthening economic security, science and technology, and cyber security impacts not "only the economy but also national security."

The expanded NSO is expected to "establish a more organic and systematic response system to various types of complex security crises," the office said, and "contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Korean businesses and stabilizing the people's livelihood."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]