National Assembly Speaker Jo Jeong-sik met with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook on Tuesday afternoon and pledged the Assembly's full legislative support for the AI transformation drive and the broader push for economic advancement.
Speaking to Han during the meeting, Jo noted that she had risen from chief executive of one of South Korea's leading IT companies to serve as the inaugural minister of SMEs and Startups under the Lee Jae Myung administration, and was now taking on the weighty responsibility of prime minister. "I hope you will lead the government with stability, guided by a spirit of innovation and pragmatism," he said.
Jo said he strongly supported the government's "three mega projects" for the AI transformation and its push to rationalize regulation. "The National Assembly will actively cooperate through legislation to ensure these initiatives are carried out without a hitch," he added.
The speaker said the Assembly was working to establish a standing cooperation framework to channel voices from the economic front line into legislation and policy. "We need to set up a communication channel between the National Assembly and the government to make cooperation with the business community more substantive," he said. He added that more efficient legislative support would be possible if each ministry relayed its requests and the difficulties faced on the ground to the Assembly.
Jo also said the ultimate measure of both politics and governance was the lives of ordinary citizens. "Behind record-high exports and a booming stock market lie the worries of everyday people — high suicide rates, industrial accidents and soaring prices," he said, urging Han, as the prime minister responsible for domestic affairs, to pay close attention to the realities of people's lives.
Han said she believed legislative support for people's livelihoods, daily safety and industrial safety was critically important. "I will continue to consult with the National Assembly on legal and institutional support measures to ensure the mega projects' vision is well established and that cooperation with ministries and businesses proceeds smoothly," she said.
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