President Lee Jae-myung, who visited Chungju in North Chungcheong Province, began promoting the "Just Dream" project.
On the afternoon of the 11th, the president visited a "Just Dream" business site located at the Health and Welfare Town in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, after visiting a traditional market in Chungju as part of efforts focused on people's livelihoods, the president stopped by a nearby "Just Dream" business site.
Accompanying the site visit were Second Vice Minister Lee Hyeong-hun of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Moon Jin-young, Second Personal Secretary Oh Sang-ho, and Protocol Secretary Kwon Hyuk-ki.
The Just Dream project provides food and daily necessities to people struggling to make ends meet without onerous documentation procedures. At a Cabinet meeting on the 3rd, the president mentioned the project and said, "People who can afford to live may say that doing this kind of project leads to a 'welfare dependency,' but those who have gone hungry know how bitter hunger is," and ordered the system to be expanded.
Arriving at the Just Dream Center with first lady Kim Hea-kyung, the president received a briefing on user statistics from Lee Gwang-hun, head of the Chungju General Social Welfare Center. Lee said, "We started the project in December, and right now about 90 people come every day," adding, "The number keeps increasing."
The president then asked, "Are you saying 91 people come a day?" When Lee answered, "Yes," the president showed keen interest by asking about the proportion of repeat visitors. The president also asked detailed questions about whether non-Chungju residents can use the service and how it applies to foreigners.
The president stressed, "This is not a civic welfare program but an effort to say let's not go hungry and let's not end up in prison for stealing eggs." While looking around the "Just Dream Corner" inside the Chungju Food Market, the president noted, "Shinhan Bank has provided support here," and prompted, "We should give a round of applause."
While touring the center's interior, when an employee said they cried at the time of the 2024 Busan Gadeokdo attack and showed a diary entry from then, the president expressed thanks, saying, "Everything is thanks to you." Afterward, the presidential couple greeted users eating at the center and posed for commemorative photos.