President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to Singapore, met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the 2nd and said, "It seems we should learn a lot about real estate policy on this visit."
Meeting President Tharman at Singapore's government complex that morning, President Lee said, "Since my days long ago working as Seongnam mayor, I have had particular interest in Singapore's real estate policy," and stated accordingly.
President Lee said, "One of the similarities between Singapore and the Republic of Korea is that many people live on a small stretch of land," adding, "It is truly remarkable that, while achieving tremendous economic growth on limited land, dwellings or real estate have not become a social problem at all."
He added, "(Singapore's) integrity and competence in the public service are truly outstanding," and said, "It is also truly worth learning from how the clarity of rewards and penalties and compensation based on competence are almost on par with private corporations, preemptively removing room for corruption."
He went on, "The core of the Republic of Korea's industrial and economic policy is investing in future advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), and Singapore is already ahead in AI," adding, "There seems to be considerable room for cooperation going forward in AI and the power sector."
President Tharman said, "In recent years, relations between the two countries have been accelerating rapidly in the areas of trade, investment, research and development (R&D), and cultural exchanges," adding, "This is meaningful in a global environment that is very unstable as it is now."
He continued, "Friend countries like Korea and Singapore should further strengthen their ties," and emphasized, "I also have high expectations for the various documents we will discuss and sign today."