Seoul: Acting President Lee Ju-ho presided over his first Cabinet meeting Friday and stressed the need to devote efforts to state affairs ahead of the June 3 presidential election. Lee made the calls during the first Cabinet meeting since he assumed the interim leadership following the resignation of former acting President Han Duck-soo and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Choi Sang-mok on Thursday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee highlighted the National Assembly's recent approval of an extra budget bill, stating, "This supplementary budget was passed in just 11 days, the fastest in the past 20 years." Lee emphasized the importance of the government's role in fulfilling its responsibilities following the swift passage of the budget.
On Thursday, the National Assembly passed a 13.8 trillion-won (US$9.6 billion) extra budget aimed at aiding disaster response efforts and revitalizing the economy. With only 33 days remaining until the election, Lee urged the government to ensure the transparent and fair management of the electoral process while firmly maintaining national security.
Lee also called for undivided attention to pressing national tasks, such as full-scale trade talks with the United States and efforts to revitalize the economy, despite the limited time remaining.