SEOUL, June 08 (AJP) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung marked his first year in office on Monday by unveiling plans to aggressively expand the country's economic focus, pledging to discover and nurture global super-gap growth engines beyond the semiconductor sector.
Lee assumed the presidency on June 4 last year, following a snap election triggered by the December 2024 impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who had briefly declared emergency martial law. Lee framed his first year in office as a period of overcoming the resulting crisis of democracy and stabilizing the nation, setting the stage for a new era of proactive national growth.
Speaking during a press conference at the state guest house at the presidential Blue House, Lee declared 2026 as the year South Korea begins its bold dream of becoming an irreplaceable nation. He presented four primary national objectives aimed at transforming the country into an industrial powerhouse where all citizens share the economic benefits.
"I will continuously discover and nurture 'global super-gap growth engines' that will serve as South Korea's next-generation cash cows in industrial sectors other than semiconductors," Lee said.
To execute this vision, the president promised to unveil a large-scale investment project soon, designed to fundamentally shift the national economic strategy. He emphasized that the financial rewards of this expansion must not remain trapped within specific corporations or regions, but must instead flow to small and medium-sized venture companies and spread evenly across the country.
"I will carefully monitor the highly supported National Growth Fund so that it can fulfill its role for the growth of everyone, and I will also prepare measures to utilize the excess tax revenue generated by semiconductors in the most effective way," Lee said.
On the security front, Lee committed to elevating South Korea's standing as a global diplomatic and military power under the principle that peace directly supports economic livelihoods. The government has recently accelerated efforts to build an independent defense framework in response to shifting global alliances and regional security demands.
"I will do my best to ensure that the precious diplomatic and security achievements made over the past year, such as the revision of the South Korea-US nuclear energy agreement, the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, and the push for an early recovery of wartime operational control, bear concrete fruit," Lee said.
Domestically, the president promised to aggressively dismantle privileges and correct market irregularities to build a society where rules are respected. He vowed to strictly punish crimes that harm the economic well-being of the public.
"I will thoroughly crack down on civil crimes that disrupt market order, such as stock manipulation and real estate offenses, and I will unwaveringly implement structural reform tasks to dismantle privileges," Lee said.
"I will run with all my might, as if every single day given to me is my last day in office, so that this government will be more anticipated for the next four years than it was over the past year," Lee said.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
