Prime Minister Han Seong-sook said South Korea will pour an additional 90 billion won ($64.8 million) into discounts on holiday staples, pledging to do its utmost to stabilize prices ahead of the Chuseok holiday as inflationary pressure builds on rising international oil prices.
Presiding over the 40th Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District on the 15th, Han said, "Our government announced a Chuseok livelihood stabilization package that includes the largest-ever supply of holiday staples." She added, "On top of that, we are doing our utmost to stabilize Chuseok prices, including injecting an additional 90 billion won into discounts on holiday staples." She said, "As tensions in the Middle East conflict escalate again and international oil prices climb steeply, price pressures are growing," and instructed the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and other relevant ministries to review supplies of holiday staples and inspect sites closely for unfair practices such as price-labeling violations.
On the country's mega projects, Han also stressed the importance of building transmission networks early. "It would not be an exaggeration to say that the key to the success of the mega projects for South Korea's great leap forward hinges on the timely supply of electricity and the early construction of transmission networks," she said. "For transmission networks, active cooperation from local residents matters more than anything else," she added. "While upholding the principles of expanding transmission networks without wavering, we are pursuing a range of measures to minimize the burden on residents and deliver tangible benefits to them."
