President Yoon Suk-yeol applauds during a policy briefing by the science and ICT ministry at the former presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul as Science and ICT Minister Lee Jong-ho reports that Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri has successfully entered the orbit of the moon earlier than planned, Dec. 28. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Wednesday stressed the importance of science and technology, saying they form the basis of all industries.

Yoon made the remark during a joint policy briefing by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Personal Information Protection Commission, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

The president has been receiving briefings from government agencies on their plans for the new year.

"Industries are about creating economic value based on science and technology," he said during the meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, also noting the government's role in supporting the development of promising technologies.

On the role of the Personal Information Protection Commission, Yoon said it is important to protect people's privacy and simultaneously look for ways to use data to contribute to economic development.

On the work of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, he said he expected to hear diverse opinions on how to keep the public safe from radioactivity while making the most of nuclear power.

The meeting brought together some 150 people, including Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Science Minister Lee Jong-ho, other senior government officials, and members of the ruling People Power Party and research institutions.

The science minister opened the meeting by announcing that Korea's unmanned space vehicle Danuri successfully entered the moon's orbit Tuesday after traveling 7.3 million kilometers over 145 days.

As the room broke into applause, Lee introduced the music playing in the background as BTS' "Dynamite" sent by Danuri from space.

"Just like Danuri, which is taking its first step toward the moon, we will use science and technology to create previously nonexistent values in the world," he said. (Yonhap)