The remarks came as she held her first meeting at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong since taking her post the previous day.
The overall economic situation is "not one we can let our guard down," she said, citing still-high oil prices, a weak currency, and growing chances of benchmark interest rate hikes by major economies, despite rising expectations for stability in the Middle East, as Washington and Tehran recently signed a memorandum of understanding to end the conflict while continuing working-level talks.
Han instructed officials to monitor prices for everyday necessities in real time and to implement "swift and bold" measures to stabilize prices.
She called for efforts to better protect vulnerable groups, saying the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety could work together to identify households in need and improve welfare support for them.
She also thanked officials and shipping companies, saying that with their help, 24 of the 26 South Korean vessels that had been stuck near the Strait of Hormuz were able to leave.
She then pledged that the government would continue working until the remaining two ships and their crews return safely.
"Now we need to come up with measures to revive exports and ways South Korea can contribute to postwar reconstruction efforts in the Middle East," she said.
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