[Anchor]
President Lee Jae‑myung, responding to the crisis originating in the Middle East, raised concerns about electricity bills.
He said the government will keep rates unchanged for now but urged citizens to conserve electricity, given the financial strain on KEPCO and public finances.
This is Dahyeon Lee reporting.
[Reporter]
An emergency economic review meeting was convened to assess responses to the fallout from the Middle East war.
President Lee assessed that it is difficult to predict how the situation will unfold.
With a wartime supplementary budget expected next week, he said the government now needs to focus on details and prepare even for minor contingencies.
He reiterated the need to prepare for an energy crisis and specifically addressed electricity use.
「Lee Jae‑myung / President」 KEPCO is the sole power supplier, which means the government bears full responsibility. Therefore, we intend to keep electricity rates unchanged as much as possible.
He cited KEPCO's massive debt and warned that maintaining current rates could inflict substantial fiscal losses, urging the public to help by conserving electricity.
「Lee Jae‑myung / President」 KEPCO's debt stands at about 200 trillion KRW (150 billion USD). I ask you to take part in energy savings, especially by cutting electricity use.
Ahead of the implementation of the second phase of the oil price cap, the president also urged retail gas stations to cooperate with the policy.
He warned again that the government will take a zero‑tolerance approach to those who seek unfair profits during the crisis.
「Lee Jae‑myung / President」 Collusion, hoarding and other attempts to gain unfair profits will never be tolerated, and the government will respond firmly under a zero‑tolerance policy.
President Lee called for solidarity to pool wisdom and share hardship, urging the public sector to lead by example by adopting a five‑day vehicle rationing system and asking citizens to join in small daily actions such as using public transit.
This is Dahyeon Lee reporting for Yonhap News TV.
[Video reporting: Ilhwan Lee, Jehwan Yoon, Changhoon Jeong]
[Video editing: Taeim Kang]
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Dahyeon Lee (ok@yna.co.kr)
