Separation of Investigation and Prosecution, Reform of the Board of Audit and Inspection Included... Turning the "Korean Peninsula Risk" into a "Premium"
Aiming for Top 3 in AI, Establishment of a National Growth Fund
Up to 966 Legislative Measures Required
The Lee Jaemyung administration has finalized the "Five-Year National Policy Plan of the Lee Jaemyung Administration," which centers on constitutional amendment for a four-year presidential re-election system, reform of powerful institutions, and the transfer of wartime operational control. A total of 123 key national policy tasks have also been confirmed.
On this day, the government, during a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jaemyung, finalized the plan and policy tasks proposed by the National Policy Planning Committee on August 13. In his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting, President Lee stated, "A management plan for our administration's national policy tasks has been established," adding, "As the president for all citizens, I will use the 123 key national policy tasks, which reflect the will of the sovereign people, as a compass to transform the lives of the people and make Korea a global leader."
Previously, the National Policy Planning Committee presented the vision of "A nation where the people are the owners, a Korea where everyone is happy together," and set five major national goals: politics that unites the people, an economy that leads the world, balanced growth where everyone prospers, a society with strong fundamentals, and diplomacy and security centered on the national interest. The Office for Government Policy Coordination projected that the legislative measures required to realize these policy tasks would amount to 751 laws and 215 subordinate regulations, totaling 966. This year, 110 bills and 66 subordinate regulations are expected to be enacted or revised.
At the forefront of the policy tasks confirmed on this day is the push for constitutional amendment to realize popular sovereignty and strengthen presidential responsibility. The administration made it clear that it will discuss introducing a four-year presidential re-election system and a runoff voting system, as well as restructuring the power structure. Other agenda items include transferring the Board of Audit and Inspection under the National Assembly, limiting the president's veto power, and strengthening the National Assembly's control over emergency orders and the proclamation of martial law.
It has been reported that once the National Assembly drafts a constitutional amendment, the government will submit its opinion and consider holding a national referendum during the 2026 local elections or the 2028 general elections. The policy tasks also include reforming powerful institutions such as the prosecution, police, and Board of Audit and Inspection-including the separation of investigation and indictment-preventing political intervention by the military, and improving the governance structure of public broadcasters.
In the field of diplomacy and security, the government will pursue the advancement of the "three-axis defense system" and the transfer of wartime operational control within the presidential term. There is also a stated goal to transform inter-Korean relations toward reconciliation and cooperation, sign a basic inter-Korean agreement, and turn the "risk" on the Korean Peninsula into a "premium." Economic and growth-related tasks include making Korea one of the top three countries in artificial intelligence (AI), fostering new industries and energy transition, establishing a national growth fund, and promoting financial innovation through the institutionalization of digital asset businesses.
In the area of balanced growth, the tasks include completing the Sejong administrative capital and initiating the second phase of public institution relocations. Support measures such as debt adjustment for low-income citizens and small business owners, public housing supply, the introduction of a Korean-style discovery system, expansion of public direct payments, and the introduction of a basic income for rural and fishing communities are also included. Additional tasks selected include reducing industrial accidents to the level of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), introducing youth future savings accounts, enacting a phased extension of the statutory retirement age, eliminating blind spots in the pension system, expanding labor relations laws, eradicating wage arrears, achieving 50 trillion won in K-culture exports, and attracting 30 million K-tourism visitors.
Going forward, the government plans to establish a pan-governmental implementation system to ensure the smooth execution of national policy tasks and to deliver tangible results. It will operate both an online national policy management system and an offline inter-ministerial consultative body to continuously monitor the progress of each ministry's policy tasks. There are also plans to install a national legislative situation room within the Ministry of Government Legislation to provide ongoing management, so that the public can directly experience the results of legislative achievements.
Meanwhile, the government will also strengthen communication with the public throughout the process of implementing national policy tasks. It will open an online communication channel called the "National Policy Task Communication Plaza" and regularly conduct public satisfaction surveys regarding the execution of policy tasks. For major issues affecting people's livelihoods, joint on-site inspections involving both the public and private sectors will be carried out. On this day, the government also finalized the basic plan and revised implementation plan for government work evaluation, which includes methods for assessing the results of national policy tasks. The focus will be on evaluating the content of key projects that reflect the national policy tasks and on rationalizing regulations for new industries.
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