Assembly speaker meets trade minister, calls for close cooperation to overcome compound crises

National Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik met with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan on Tuesday, as Kim paid a courtesy call to mark his inauguration.

During the meeting, Jo said he was impressed by the "Three Mega Projects for Korea's Great Leap Forward" that Kim had personally announced days earlier. "I deeply agree with the vision of nurturing national strategic industries through bold, preemptive investment and linking that to regional investment to achieve balanced development," Jo said. He also expressed gratitude to Kim for "thoroughly defending South Korea's national interests" during tariff negotiations with the United States last year.

Jo said businesses and local governments were keenly interested in the proposed special act on "mega special zones," a tailored support measure for advanced strategic industries that the ministry is pursuing. "As I stated in my inaugural address that I would push forward legislation on future industries such as AI and semiconductors in a timely manner, I ask that you build sufficient social consensus in advance so that the relevant bills can be processed with speed," he said.

Jo also proposed a close partnership with the business community. He told Kim that he had met with Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Chey Tae-won and business leaders Wednesday morning, where the Assembly and the business sector agreed to work together to overcome compound crises including the AI revolution, the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions. "I ask that the government enhance policy predictability to support corporate vitality, and play the role of catalyst and lubricant in the cooperative relationship between the National Assembly and the business community," Jo said.

He added that a "basic society" vision was needed — one in which the benefits of technological advancement reach all citizens. "Please pay special attention to supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers and fostering a mutually beneficial ecosystem, so that the AI transition in industrial settings does not lead to an AI divide between large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises," he said.

In response, Kim said he could feel firsthand how strong the expectations and interest from businesses and local governments were regarding the mega special zone legislation and the three mega projects. "The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will also do its utmost to serve as a reliable catalyst and lubricant in the cooperative relationship between the National Assembly and the business community," he said.