Regulations Meeting

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President Moon Jae-in has postponed a meeting on overhauling regulations, apparently due to a lack of progress by the government so far. The decision comes amid the recent replacement of senior presidential advisers on economy and job growth.

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President Moon Jae-in decided to postpone the meeting on reviewing progress in deregulation at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. The decision came just three hours before the meeting was scheduled to take place. President Moon made the decision after receiving a report from Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon. The report said that there has been no tangible progress in the deregulation process. The meeting was originally scheduled to discuss concrete follow-up measures for deregulation reforms devised by the Moon administration at the first meeting back in January. President Moon apparently decided that holding another meeting without any achievement thus far would make no sense. Analysts say that Moon's decision also serves as a warning to his economic policy advisers. The recent replacement of senior presidential advisers on economy and job growth is also believed to reflect Cheong Wa Dae's commitment to promoting income-led and innovative growth. The postponement of the meeting triggered speculations about President Moon's health issues, but a Cheong Wa Dae official said that the president was determined to attend the meeting despite a cold. It's the first time that Moon postponed an official event since taking office. Sources say the president plans to take a leave due to severe fatigue caused by his tight work schedule in the recent months. Cheong Wa Dae added that there will be no problems in reporting to the president and receiving his instructions during his leave.