President Moon Jae-in has stressed policy assistance for unemployed South Koreans in their 40s and 50s. 

Receiving on Tuesday annual policy reports from several ministries, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the president called the age cohort the backbone to the economy. 

After being briefed about people who lost jobs due to industrial restructuring or parental duties, Moon called for state-led efforts to facilitate their reemployment, saying such measures will also help the country adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

It was the Moon’s first policy briefing session in days since the president suspended such meetings in order to focus on efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.