President Lee to hear views on CPTPP and farmland surveys, hold direct talks with farmers and fishers

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung will meet with representatives of the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors to hear their views on key policy issues. The aim is to hear concerns from the sectors about issues including accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and farmland surveys, and to build understanding of and trust in government policies.
According to Cheong Wa Dae on the 26th, President Lee is scheduled to host farmers and fishers at Yeongbingwan that afternoon for an event focused on communication with people on the ground. It will be the first time in eight years, since 2018, that a president has held a meeting with farmers and fishers.
The event will take the form of a town hall meeting, where attendees can freely share their views. It is expected to focus on explaining the government’s position on policies that have drawn opposition and concern from the agriculture and fisheries sectors, and on seeking solutions with stakeholders.
That reflects the assessment that, as discussions on CPTPP accession cannot be postponed indefinitely, addressing concerns from the agriculture and fisheries sectors and narrowing differences in their positions have become important tasks. Earlier, on the 8th, President Lee called for communication with those sectors over CPTPP accession and instructed that an application to join be put on hold for the rest of the year.
At a meeting with reporters on the 19th, he also said he intended to meet directly with farmers’ groups to discuss key issues. Lee said at the time, “We must overcome distrust and restore trust,” and spoke of the need for dialogue with people on the ground.
He has also stressed the need to provide sufficient explanation about farmland surveys to prevent misunderstandings about the policy’s purpose from leading to unnecessary conflict.

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter