Prime Minister Han calls mega-projects 'key to South Korea's great leap forward'

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said Tuesday that the government's three major mega-projects are "not for any single region" but are "core projects that will lead South Korea's great leap forward in an era of global competition."

Han made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Building — the first she has presided over since taking office. "Because so many projects must be carried out simultaneously, none of them is an easy task," she said. "But I am convinced that if the government and the private sector pool their strength and give their all, we will surely bring about change that every citizen can feel."

She added that in the second year of the People's Sovereignty Government, the administration had pledged to achieve an "AI transformation," "growth for all citizens" and "balanced growth led by local governments." "I will also do my best to communicate continuously with the public and Cabinet members and repay their trust with results," she said.

Turning to enforcement of the revised Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, Han said the government would "guarantee freedom of expression for legitimate criticism and diverse opinions to the fullest extent, while responding firmly to clear disinformation and illegal acts." She directed the Korea Communications Commission and other related ministries to ensure the revised law is enforced without disruption.

She said online platforms in modern society serve as spaces for communication and public discourse, and function as "an important public square for the development of democracy."

"However, as the online sphere grows, so do the side effects caused by illegal acts such as the spread of false and manipulated information," she said. "This revision aims to minimize those side effects."

Han also called for thorough preparations against heavy rainfall during the monsoon season.

"The government must approach this with heightened vigilance to minimize damage to the public from heavy rain," she said. "The first and only goal of disaster response is the lives and safety of the people."

"Not a single citizen should lose their life," she said, urging the Ministry of Interior and Safety, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and other related ministries to work closely with local governments to inspect and reinforce underpasses, semi-basement housing and landslide-prone areas — "even to the point of seeming excessive."

Han said the Cabinet meeting would also receive a report on progress and remaining tasks related to eradicating technology theft from small and medium-sized enterprises. "This was the very first mission I received from the president at a Cabinet meeting when I became minister of SMEs and Startups," she said. "Technology theft is a very serious criminal act that erodes the will of our SMEs to innovate."

She said a probe found 474 cases of technology theft in 2024, with average damages of 2.3 billion won ($1.7 million) per case. The government plans to impose surcharges on those who commit such theft, tighten restrictions on their participation in public procurement, and establish guidelines for calculating damages so that affected companies can receive proper compensation, she said.

Reflecting on presiding over her first Cabinet meeting since taking office, Han said she felt "greatly honored." "So many projects must be carried out at the same time, and none of them is an easy task," she said. "But I am certain that if the government and the private sector unite their efforts and give everything they have, we will surely create change that all citizens can feel."