Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok Talks with Youth on Jobs, Housing, and Low Birthrate

Meeting with the Ministry of Economy and Finance 2030 Advisory Group
Easing Burden of Marriage and Childcare Costs
Tripling Budget for Youth Work Experience Support

Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance, met with young people from the 2030 generation to discuss policies on employment, housing, asset management, and low birthrate.

On the afternoon of the 10th, Deputy Prime Minister Choi held a "Dialogue with the Future Generation" with the Ministry of Economy and Finance's 2030 Advisory Group at the Jeongdong 1928 Art Center in Seoul.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance's 2030 Advisory Group was first introduced at the end of 2022 as part of expanding youth participation in national affairs. The second advisory group, launched this year, will serve for one year to convey the opinions of the younger generation and provide policy recommendations related to the ministry's major policies.

At this event, which also served as the inauguration ceremony for the second advisory group, Deputy Prime Minister Choi presented appointment letters to the advisory members and urged them to actively serve as a communication channel connecting youth and policy.

During the subsequent meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Choi discussed with the advisory members key future tasks such as expanding youth participation in economic activities, strengthening social mobility, and addressing low birthrate, which are core challenges of a dynamic economy.

The young participants identified the gap between their expectations and the reality of jobs as the fundamental cause of youth employment difficulties. They proposed expanding quality work experience opportunities and improving working conditions in small and medium-sized enterprises. Regarding the low birthrate issue, they suggested alleviating the financial burden of marriage and child-rearing and improving perceptions of marriage and childbirth as solutions.

Deputy Prime Minister Choi empathized with the perceptions and difficulties of the younger generation and emphasized plans to strengthen support for the future generation, including tripling the budget for youth work experience support this year to enhance job seekers' skills and maintaining tax-exempt benefits for the Youth Leap Account in cases of marriage, childbirth, or early termination after more than three years of subscription.

He also stated that the opinions presented by the youth on this day would be actively reflected in a series of "Social Mobility Enhancement Measures" by life cycle, covering education, employment, assets, and social safety nets, to be prepared and announced in the first half of the year.