Presidential Spokesperson Lee Dong-kwan made the following remarks in a briefing this afternoon.

A statement jointly issued by five ministers concerning recent demonstrations was announced at three o’clock this afternoon. As warnings have already been issued several times, the statement reiterated the resolute principle that the Government would sternly deal with illegal, violent protests causing public inconvenience and even hampering the livelihood of ordinary citizens.

I hope the media will refrain from using the term “candlelight vigil” from now on. That is because the nature of the demonstrations has drastically changed from their original intention. They started out as a peaceful expression of opinion in a somewhat festive atmosphere. It seems that a small group of people has made the protests illegal and violent, causing the public to lose patience.

It remains to be seen, but it is my hope that the heated rallies will calm down from today. The Government is committed to addressing state affairs in earnest in an effort to stabilize the lives of ordinary citizens in the coming months.

In this regard, the new personnel lineup of Cheong Wa Dae secretaries has almost been wrapped up. The remaining five presidential secretarial posts have been filled and the letters of appointment will be presented tomorrow to Senior Secretary Cheong Jean-gon for Education, Science and Culture and Senior Secretary Park Hyung-jun for Public Affairs Strategy. I believe it will serve as a new beginning.

Although the schedule has not been fixed yet, the President is planning to visit Chungcheongbuk-do (province) early next week to see how ordinary citizens are living.

Next week, the relevant ministry is going to issue directions for economic management for the second half of the year as scheduled. The new directions will mainly concern strengthening efforts to stabilize consumer prices, providing assistance to help ordinary citizens, creating more jobs and further promoting the growth potential.

On July 3, the ruling Grand National Party will hold a national convention to reshape the leadership lineup. Through the expected reorganization, cooperation among the ruling party, political circles and Cheong Wa Dae is expected to become more accountable and be carried out without a hitch.

Starting this week, we will redouble our efforts by returning to our original intentions, which we established during the first days of the Administration and which have been underlined by the President on many occasions.

Against this backdrop, now is high time for the public to return to their normal activities, thereby joining forces to revitalize the economy to improve everyday life.

What I have so far explained was the main topics of today’s senior secretaries meeting.