President Moon Jae-in on Jan. 15 asked the CEOs of major Korean corporations to work together toward boosting the economy by raising employment and investment.  Held in the format of a town hall meeting as part of the president’s measures to boost the economy, the two-hour meeting saw more than 130 businesspeople from large companies and small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) attend.  “Korea’s exports last year hit a record USD 600 billion and made the country the world’s sixth-largest exporter,” he said at the gathering.

President Moon Jae-in on Jan. 10 said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent visit to China is "a sign that the second North Korea-U.S. summit is now close." In his New Year's news conference at Cheong Wa Dae, the president began a Q&A session for both Korean and foreign reporters by answering questions on diplomacy and national security. Of the 24 questions asked of him on the three areas of diplomacy and national security, economy, and politics and society, the most (10) were on the first category. On Kim's recent visit to China, President Moon said, "It will positively influence a successful second summit between North Korea and the U.S.," adding, "We soon might hear about high-level negotiations between both sides on their second summit." 

Foreign correspondents have complimented President Moon Jae-in for personally hosting his New Year’s news conference on Jan. 10.  "Compared to last year, President Moon was more actively involved in hosting the conference, and the flow was overall very good," said Al Jazeera senior producer Kim Mu-sun.  "I liked the format of the news conference this time," said Le Figaro’s Asia correspondent Sebastien Falletti. "If not often, I’d like this kind of meeting to be held several times a year."