Housing and Employment Identified as Core Youth Issues
President Lee Directs Creation of Procedures and Systems to Reflect Youth Perspectives in Policy
First Bipartisan 'Livelihood Economy Council' Meeting on the 19th
"Starting with Shared Pledges, Greater Cooperation Needed"
"Prepare Fundamental Measures to Minimize Damage from Hacking Incidents"
On September 18, President Lee Jaemyung emphasized that in order to address the complex issues facing young people, it is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of policies through short-term measures while also making continuous efforts to resolve structural problems. Regarding the first meeting of the bipartisan 'Livelihood Economy Council' to be held at the National Assembly on September 19, he expressed hope that both ruling and opposition parties would gather more wisdom and cooperate more extensively, starting with shared pledges.
During his opening remarks at the senior aides meeting held at the Yongsan presidential office, President Lee stated, "The difficulties faced by young people are structural problems that have accumulated over a long period of time." Prior to the meeting, an appointment ceremony was held for Lee Juhyung and Choi Jiweon as youth officers, who were selected through a blind public recruitment process and a citizens' participation panel review.
President Lee further added, "When it comes to the two core youth issues-housing and employment-we must pursue fundamental solutions that comprehensively address the lives of young people, while also implementing micro-policies such as expanding monthly rent support and guaranteeing first steps into the job market."
He also urged the creation of the necessary procedures and systems to ensure that the perspectives and concerns of young people are reflected in policy. President Lee said, "The perspectives and concerns of young people must be fully incorporated into youth policy," adding, "I hope the necessary procedures and systems will be well established." He continued, "Young people are the main drivers of Korea and the engine of recovery and growth. Without solving youth issues, there is no future for our country. We will strive to be a government that alleviates the suffering and anxiety of young people and fosters hope for the future."
He also expressed his expectations for the first meeting of the bipartisan 'Livelihood Economy Council' scheduled for September 19. President Lee remarked, "Even though we stand in different political positions, both the ruling and opposition parties have a responsibility to work together to improve the difficult lives of our people. As the saying goes, well begun is half done. Starting with shared pledges, I hope we can gather more wisdom and cooperate more for the people and the nation. We must unite our national capabilities to confront the oncoming triple waves."
President Lee also called for fundamental measures to minimize the damage caused by a series of hacking incidents. Recently, a hacking incident at Lotte Card resulted in the leak of approximately 200GB of data, exposing the personal information of 2.97 million members. Among them, 280,000 people had their card numbers, two digits of their passwords, and CVC numbers leaked.
President Lee stated, "Due to hacking incidents involving major telecommunications companies and financial institutions, the damage to the public continues to increase. While it is necessary to hold companies accountable, we must also quickly establish a systematic, government-wide response to increasingly sophisticated hacking crimes." He added, "Without security, digital transformation and becoming a global leader in artificial intelligence are nothing but castles built on sand. I urge you to prepare fundamental measures to minimize the damage."
With the Chuseok holiday just two weeks away, President Lee said, "We should use the long Chuseok holiday as a catalyst to revitalize the domestic economy. Please do your utmost to stabilize the prices of key goods and eradicate price gouging." He continued, "COVID-19 is spreading again. During the holiday period, please double- and triple-check safety measures for the public and proactively prepare any necessary responses."
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