President Lee Jae-myung stated on August 6 that "youth are becoming increasingly vulnerable," directing various ministries to reorganize youth policies to align with the life stages and actual needs of young people, focusing on education, employment, income and assets, housing, and marriage.
During the 42nd senior advisory meeting held at the Blue House, President Lee emphasized that one of the key areas requiring accelerated action among national tasks is youth policy.
He specifically instructed that universal support should lower barriers to allow more young people to benefit, while areas requiring tailored assistance should have a more robust support system. He also proposed the establishment of an online system utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to proactively identify and guide eligible individuals without requiring them to seek out policies themselves.
President Lee urged that policies should be meticulously organized to match the actual needs and life stages of young people, maximizing the synergy between support policies across core areas of life such as education and employment, income and assets, and housing and marriage.
He called for different designs in support methods based on the nature of the policies. "In areas where universal support is needed, we should lower barriers so that more young people can benefit, and in areas requiring tailored support, we need to design a more robust support system," he said.
As a means to enhance policy accessibility, he suggested a proactive guidance system using AI. This aims to address criticism that only those who are aware of various youth policies and programs across different ministries are able to benefit.
President Lee stated, "We should not just wait for applicants to come forward; we need to proactively guide eligible individuals to encourage as many applications as possible," adding that an AI online system would be beneficial.
Regarding recent confusion among some applicants due to incorrect guidance during the review process for the Youth Future Savings program, he ordered relevant authorities to respond thoroughly.
He emphasized the need to closely monitor the situation to prevent unjust harm to applicants and to ensure accurate information is provided when introducing new systems. "We must continuously improve and refine systems from the perspective of young people, who are the demanders and beneficiaries, rather than from the supplier's viewpoint," he stressed.
In light of the completion of the second government work report the previous day, he directed an increase in the speed of policy implementation. "The work report is over, but what truly matters is from now on," he said, stressing that sincere efforts and prompt actions to genuinely change the lives of citizens are more important than grand designs or flashy blueprints.
He added, "With about 1,400 days left in the government term, let’s tighten our shoelaces once more and do our utmost to achieve national outcomes that the public can feel."
President Lee also highlighted that all national achievements are evaluated by the sovereign citizens. He pointed out that even well-intentioned policies are ineffective if citizens do not feel their impact or if they cause harm.
He stated, "We need flexible and proactive administration that constantly examines all issues from the perspective of the citizens and actively corrects any problems without any sacred cows."
He also called for active responses to incorrect reports and false or manipulated information both domestically and internationally. President Lee instructed, "Do not overlook even the smallest instances of incorrect reporting or malicious information; the ministries must take responsibility to correct them."
He emphasized the need for strict responses to acts of disseminating false or manipulated information aimed at distorting or manipulating public opinion, stating, "For citizens to make correct judgments, the government’s information must first be objective and accurate."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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