President Lee: Marriage Should Be a Hopeful New Beginning, Addressing 'Marriage Penalty'

President Lee Jae-myung stated on August 8 that the so-called 'marriage penalty,' which puts married individuals at a disadvantage compared to singles in areas such as loans and housing subscriptions, must be addressed. He emphasized, "I will ensure that marriage can be a hopeful new beginning rather than a burden."
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), President Lee remarked, "Young people should never hesitate to marry due to national policies. I have instructed a thorough investigation into the institutional disadvantages that may arise from marriage."
During a senior aide meeting in February, President Lee also pointed out the 'marriage penalty' related to loans and housing subscriptions, insisting that it must be identified and corrected. He directed his team to report on relevant cases.
On this day, President Lee noted, "I have gathered various opinions through youth forums, real estate discussions, and reviews by relevant ministries," adding that 22 priority issues directly affecting housing and asset formation, such as loan and tax regulations, were proposed.
The list of '22 Marriage Penalties Identified by Youth Voices' includes easing income requirements for home purchase loans and expanding income criteria for dual-income households under special newborn loan programs.
Proposals also included relaxing eligibility requirements for newlywed special housing subscriptions and allowing households with two small homes to apply for subscriptions after marriage. Additionally, there were suggestions to expand exemptions on acquisition tax for dual homeowners and improve tax credit disadvantages related to marriage.
President Lee stated, "I will carefully examine whether there are areas that need improvement and whether the proposed solutions can be fair and genuinely helpful to everyone."
He added, "I want to listen to the voices of the people and create tangible changes together. If there are any other systems you find unreasonable, please feel free to share your thoughts."

* This article has been translated by AI.