President Moon Jae-in has promised all-out efforts to enable a return to a normalized life, as he noted the stepped-up distancing rules will need to be strong and brief.

In his opening remarks at the government's economic policy briefing for next year on Monday, Moon said the policy directions reflect a determination to overcome the crisis and achieve complete normalization in 2022.

His remark suggests that restored quarantine measures were inevitable due to the virus surge. But considering their effects on the economy, they should end as quickly as possible to resume a gradual return to daily life.

Moon said full economic normalcy can only be attained in a stable quarantine situation and pledged to mobilize all available resources to expand support for small business owners affected by the tightened restrictions.

He also promised efforts to ease social inequality and polarization, stabilize real estate prices, increase housing supply and respond preemptively to external risks that can threaten supply chains and inflation.

Moon, noting less than five months remain in his term, said there are still many tasks to tackle and called for strong teamwork to realize a successful conclusion.