문 대통령, 코로나 극복•한국판 뉴딜 국회 협조 당부…"협치 시대 열자"
After a delay of 50 days due to political wrangling, South Korea's 21st National Assembly formally opened on Thursday... and to mark the occasion President Moon Jae-in delivered a speech.
He called for bipartisan efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and to achieve key state tasks, such as his administration's Korean New Deal initiative.
Our presidential office correspondent Kim Min-ji starts us off.
President Moon Jae-in has called for parliamentary cooperation for the government's New Deal Initiative saying that it's a national development strategy to make South Korea a leading country.
Delivering a speech to lawmakers to mark the formal opening of the 21st National Assembly on Thursday,... Moon said the New Deal is the key to a new future,... and that the government will fully support the ideas and proposals put forward by rival parties.
I ask for your efforts to remove any obstacles that stand in the way to opening a new era. The National Assembly has a big role to play in uniting stakeholders and mediating conflicts of interest on the way to a new future. I ask for your interest in legislation that will be able to strengthen the employment safety net and the social safety net.
The president also stressed the importance of cooperation rather than confrontation especially to overcome COVID-19.
Moon called on the National Assembly to make efforts to strengthen the country's quarantine system and ride out the economic crisis.
The president also called for legislative backing for the government's efforts to cool the property market saying that the government's measures alone are not enough.
He vowed to take all possible measures to raise the pressure on those who own multiple homes and to curb speculative investment to ensure that those in dire need of homes can get them.
I will listen to the voices of the opposition parties that are demanding the expansion of the housing supply and to actively seek out the necessary measures. If the National Assembly does not pass related bills, the government's measures will only be half-complete.
As for Korean Peninsula affairs,... Moon said that relations between the two Koreas and North Korea and U.S. are on thin ice.
He stressed the need to step aside from factionalism for the sake of peace on the Peninsula as the basis for sustainable prosperity.
Moon said that if parliament can make sure efforts to that end are irreversible, it would further solidify the foundation for peace.
I hope that the 21st National Assembly will institutionalize the accomplishments of the South-North summit talks and that inter-Korean parliamentary talks will take place. If the new parliament does make those efforts, we will be able to open the door in East Asia to a community of peace, security and life.
President Moon also vowed to step up communication with the National Assembly along the way.
He said that he'll revive a consultative body involving rival lawmakers to meet on a regula
