UNJournal  Kayla Lee |  President Lee Jae-myung stated on February 3 that "the 'Geunyang Dream' initiative is receiving considerable positive response among the public as it supports citizens in welfare blind spots." (Geunyang is Korean for “just” or simply.”)

In his opening remarks at the 4th Cabinet Meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee explained the planned expansion of the Geunyang Dream initiative in May, saying, “It means everyone will receive at least the minimum amount of food (needed) at all times.”

He continued, "This initiative came about in response to the story of people arrested for stealing a carton of eggs because they were hungry," adding, “It started from the question: Why should we incur the enormous costs of investigating, arresting, and managing people who commit crimes just because they don’t have enough food for a single meal?”

President Lee described it as "a program that provides food free of charge to anyone—with each meal provided costing around 20,000 won," noting, "Initially there were concerns that people in Mercedes-Benzes would be driving up to receive one, but when put into practice such cases were found to be extremely rare."

He added, "Now over 150 locations nationwide are operating this program. ... Please spread the word about this policy widely." To stave off hunger, President Lee encouraged everyone to "not only tell those directly experiencing hardship (about the initiative) but also anyone they know around them who may need it."

President Lee also announced "We will expand this program in May," instructing "Please promptly address any deficiencies before then and actively review and implement increasing the number of program sites." He added, "Hope grows when shared, and solidarity becomes stronger through action," saying, "We’re hoping to handle this primarily through public donations rather than government funding. I ask for your active participation."

Regarding economic policy, President Lee emphasized, "Even though last month's exports broke through $60 billion for the first time ever for January, translating such positive indicators into tangible changes that people can feel requires strategies that transcend traditional systems."

He particularly noted, “As the great transformation toward artificial intelligence accelerates, economic gains will inevitably concentrate more in the hands of a few, and jobs will structurally decrease.” He stressed, “It is time to completely transform our economic structure to broaden the depth and breadth of growth, enabling more citizens freely challenge themselves and pursue innovations.”

To this end, he said, "We need to lower barriers to entrepreneurship so anyone with an idea can start a business, along with bold institutional innovation and financial support," emphasizing, "In particular, startup-related regulations need to be overhauled from a zero-based perspective."

President Lee stated, "In the AI era, only societies that use trial and error as stepping stones to success can overcome crises and enjoy opportunities for greater prosperity," adding “The government must concentrate all its capabilities on the grand transformation into a startup-centered nation.”

Meanwhile, President Lee mentioned the outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease, ordering an all-out response to disease control, compensation for affected farms, and safety measures for disease control officials. Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, he urged, “Please swiftly implement measures to stabilize grocery prices, including expanding the supply of seasonal goods and strengthening discount support for agricultural and livestock products.”