▲ President Lee Jae-myung, who is on a state visit to Italy, holds a virtual meeting with senior secretaries from a hotel in Rome on June 14 (local time).
President Lee Jae-myung urged his aides to speed up state affairs, saying, "It is no exaggeration to say that the success or failure of the remaining four years depends on this second year of administration."
During a virtual meeting with senior secretaries on Sunday, President Lee said, "If the first year of the people's sovereign government was a time to resolve internal turmoil and draw up the blueprint for overall state affairs, this second year must aim to build the institutional foundation for key tasks."
He added, "For this, close cooperation and communication with the National Assembly are more important than anything else," urging, "If necessary, you must visit the ruling and opposition parties so often that you wear down their doorsteps, putting all your efforts into the legislative speed battle."
He continued, "We must also make every effort to ensure that policy execution is carried out quickly and meticulously," emphasizing, "Please do your best in your respective positions so that the improvement in major economic indicators can lead to qualitative and tangible changes in the lives of the people."
President Lee also called for government-wide attention to youth policies.
After mentioning that the nominal gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the first quarter reached 10.5%, a 50-year high, and that exports are showing remarkable growth, raising expectations that per capita gross national income (GNI) could approach $40,000, he pointed out, "While a new window of opportunity seems to be opening for our economy, the challenges we must solve are also formidable."
He added, "In particular, the triple hardship of employment, asset, and income polarization faced by young people is very serious," and urged, "We must do our utmost to alleviate this problem even slightly."
Accordingly, he instructed, "We need to speed up the review of establishing a dedicated body for youth policies. Youth policies must also be considered a top priority in next year's budget proposal and mid- to long-term national financial projects."
He also proposed developing something like a "Youth Perception Index" to measure the impact of overall policies—such as jobs, entrepreneurship, housing, education, and welfare—on the lives of young people, similar to an environmental impact assessment.
In addition, President Lee emphasized public safety, saying, "Governing must always prepare for the future. Even if the sweltering heat or the rainy season has not fully begun, we must carefully review measures related to extreme heat."
He also asked aides to look ahead and prepare measures for managing hazardous facilities, ensuring public safety during the hot season, and minimizing care gaps during school vacations.
He emphasized, "Please practice proactive and active administration that preemptively addresses the difficulties in people's livelihoods," adding, "We need an active attitude to take action even if not ordered to, and even if there are no related systems or precedents."
The meeting was held virtually during President Lee's tour of Europe.
According to the presidential office, this is the first time in history that a meeting of senior secretaries has been held via video conference during a presidential trip abroad.
At the start of the meeting, President Lee joked to his aides, "Is it a bit more comfortable and nice for you since we are not in the country?"
Nevertheless, he urged, "All public officials, regardless of where they are physically located, must not leave any loophole in looking after the lives of the people."
Regarding the achievements of the tour, which has passed its midpoint, he said, "So far, we have achieved a significant level of mutually beneficial results in various fields such as trade, the defense industry, and security," adding, "We will further solidify the foundation of strategic, pragmatic diplomacy to protect national interests amid the rapidly changing international order."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.