Choi Sang-mok, acting President and Deputy Prime Minister, as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, said on the 9th, “We will review the designation of January 27 as a temporary holiday based on public opinion to provide the citizens with sufficient rest and promote domestic travel.”
Acting Prime Minister Choi noted this during a cabinet meeting on national affairs and economic relations held at the Government Seoul Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, saying, “We will activate domestic tourism, which is at risk of contraction recently.”
The designation of ‘January 27 as a temporary holiday,’ discussed the previous day at a high-level party-government meeting in the National Assembly, will be reviewed again during this meeting and will be finalized at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for next week. The designation of the temporary holiday requires a resolution from the Cabinet meeting.
Acting Prime Minister Choi emphasized, “We have prepared measures for the Lunar New Year holiday so that the Lunar New Year at the end of January can serve as an opportunity for economic recovery and a valuable time for the citizens who have worked hard over the past year.”
The government’s measures for the Lunar New Year announced today are summarized into four themes: ▲ price stabilization ▲ alleviating burdens on the people ▲ activating domestic tourism ▲ ensuring public safety.
Acting Prime Minister Choi said, “We will do our utmost to stabilize the price of holiday shopping baskets,” adding, “We will supply 265,000 tons of essential goods and invest a record high of 90 billion won in government discounts to stabilize prices by offering discounts of up to 50%.”
He continued, “We will supply 39 trillion won in holiday funds to small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners, and support various livelihood projects as quickly as possible before the Lunar New Year,” noting, “We will quickly hire over 790,000 ‘direct jobs’ by January and will also expedite payments for employment stabilization subsidies and wage arrears ahead of the holiday.”
Regarding the activation of domestic tourism, he stated that along with the designation of the temporary holiday, “We will support traffic convenience, such as exempting highway tolls during the holiday period and also open various cultural facilities for free.”