President Moon Jae-in pledged to lay the foundation before the end of his term next May to allow South Korea to usher in an era of great transition.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Moon labeled his administration a government tasked with overcoming crises and pledged to exert its utmost efforts and manage state affairs with a sense of heavy responsibility before he steps down from office next year.

The remarks apparently signal his drive to circumvent a a lame-duck period many of his predecessors faced late in their presidency and continue pushing forward with his major policy drives for the nation's great transition, regarding the pandemic, fourth industrial revolution, climate change and sustainable development goals.  

On the prolonged fight against COVID-19 and its repercussions on the economy, the president promised that the nation will fully bounce back and that he will do his best to ensure a process of inclusive recovery and rebuilding.

Under new laws taking effect on October 8, Moon pledged to swiftly provide compensation to small business owners in the in-person service sector which suffered hard losses from social distancing regulations.

Emphasizing that normalizing daily life under balanced quarantine and vaccinations would be the best way to lift their burden, the president urged the public to maintain vigilance and get vaccinated.

Looking beyond the pandemic recovery, Moon pledged to push for the country to become a global leader in the digital and green energy sectors through innovation.