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🇰🇷 South Korea /Elections & Politics

President Lee: Youth are a vulnerable class needing policy overhaul

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • South Korean President Lee Jae-myung stated that young people are becoming a vulnerable class and called for a policy overhaul focused on key areas like education, employment, and housing.
  • He noted that current youth policies lack coordination and fail to address core issues effectively, despite their large number.
  • The president also emphasized the need to improve policy accessibility, suggesting AI-driven systems to proactively inform and guide young people to available support.

President Lee Jae-myung has declared that South Korea's youth are effectively becoming a vulnerable class, urging a significant reorientation of government policies to address their core needs. Speaking at a senior staff meeting, Lee highlighted concerns that existing youth support programs are fragmented and fail to tackle fundamental problems, despite their proliferation.

Young people are now almost becoming a vulnerable class.

— President Lee Jae-myungDuring a senior staff meeting at the Blue House, President Lee Jae-myung expressed his concerns about the current state of South Korean youth.

"Many youth policies are being prepared by the government, but there are many criticisms that the linkage between youth projects by each ministry is weak, and the specific content of youth policies is difficult to grasp easily," Lee stated. He referenced a recent focus group survey indicating a lack of substantial policies that resolve key issues, despite the sheer volume of initiatives.

Many youth policies are being prepared by the government, but there are many criticisms that the linkage between youth projects by each ministry is weak, and the specific content of youth policies is difficult to grasp easily.

— President Lee Jae-myungThe president elaborated on the perceived shortcomings of current youth support programs.

The president stressed the importance of aligning youth policies with actual demand and life stages. He called for lowering the threshold for universal support to benefit more young people, while also designing more robust systems for tailored assistance. "As important as creating policies is increasing policy accessibility," Lee asserted.

As important as creating policies is increasing policy accessibility.

— President Lee Jae-myungLee emphasized the need for practical improvements in how policies are delivered to young citizens.

Lee also pointed to the criticism that policies are too complex and scattered across various ministries, making them accessible only to those already aware. He proposed the development of AI-powered online systems to proactively reach out to eligible individuals, encouraging applications rather than passively waiting for them. This initiative aims to ensure that support reaches a wider audience and addresses the practical challenges faced by young South Koreans.

Rather than just sitting and waiting for applications, it would be good to build an AI online system that proactively guides them to the target audience to encourage as many applications as possible.

— President Lee Jae-myungThe president suggested leveraging technology to enhance the reach and effectiveness of youth support initiatives.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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