President Lee Jae-myung will hold a live discussion with ministers on national growth strategies, including AI (artificial intelligence), during the State Council meeting on the 2nd of next month. Building on the recent public remarks he made during the State Council meeting, this move marks a step further by deciding to publicly share in-depth discussions and work reports between the President and heads of ministries. After focusing efforts on preparing for the Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan summits for over a month, the intention is to shift the focus of his work toward domestic economic issues. This follows the public disclosure of the live session from the fiscal savings meeting held at the Presidential Office on the 13th of last month, just over 20 days ago.
Lee Gyu-yeon, the senior spokesperson for the Presidential Office, noted during a briefing on the afternoon of the 31st that "President Lee Jae-myung stated that he will focus on people's difficulties and finding new growth engines for the time being, emphasizing his plans." During this State Council meeting, it is expected that relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will present work reports followed by in-depth discussions with the President. The entire process will be broadcast live on KTV.
He will also directly chair discussions on "K-manufacturing transformation" and "K-bio industry." The direction of manufacturing policy and government-level financial support measures will be discussed. In this format, relevant ministries and industry experts will be invited to share their concerns, and there will be a question-and-answer session with the President. The spokesperson stated, "We will discuss ways to nurture the bioindustry as a core national business, similar to semiconductors," adding, "This will be a kind of expert discussion to deliberate on policy improvements and more."
There are plans to resume town hall meetings as well. These meetings will allow President Lee to visit various regions directly and mediate on issues where the positions of local governments differ. Previously, the President directed the establishment of a task force for the Gwangju military airport during his first town hall meeting in Honam and also listened to public sentiment regarding the transfer of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Busan.
The President reportedly expressed his commitment to focus on the domestic economy immediately after completing his visits to Japan and the United States last week. The spokesperson noted, "The President has poured all his efforts into the Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan summits for several weeks, so now he intends to focus more on domestic economic growth and people's livelihoods." He also mentioned, "The town hall meetings will naturally be resumed as well."