Ministry of the Interior and Safety Presents Key Policy Plans
Lee Jae-myung on Hate Banners: "Inciting Conflict"
Realizing an AI Democratic Government... Enacting the Basic Law on Life and Safety
"Prosecution Reform Through the Launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency"
On the 17th, President Lee Jae-myung addressed the issue of banners containing hate speech, stating, "This is an act that brings shame to society by exploiting administrative loopholes," and called for the need to crack down on such practices. President Lee suggested creating guidelines to regulate these banners, given the absence of relevant legislation.
During a work briefing session with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held at the Sejong Convention Center that afternoon, President Lee stated, "Putting up these banners incites unnecessary conflict and constitutes an abuse of authority and rights," emphasizing the need for action.
In response, Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, reported, "To prevent banners with hate speech, it is necessary to amend the Outdoor Advertising Act and the Political Parties Act, but since the bills have not yet passed, there are limitations." President Lee replied, "Even before the laws are enacted, it is right to establish guidelines and carry out enforcement. If this position is made clear, local governments will be able to conduct crackdowns with confidence."
President Lee particularly stressed, "Until now, we have left things entirely unattended, and now all sorts of bizarre banners are being put up. Just because something is done in the name of personal freedom, or because it is put up by a political party and therefore allegedly cannot be restricted, does not mean that banners which offend the public can be posted without limit."
President Lee Jae-myung received a briefing on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (National Police Agency, National Fire Agency) and the Ministry of Personnel Administration at the Government Sejong Convention Center on the afternoon of the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News
Announcement of 'Three Major Policy Directions' and 'Five Key Tasks' for the People... Building a 'Nation of the People' Based on Social Integration
At the work briefing, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety presented three major policy directions, five key tasks, and two additional "plus" initiatives to realize the goal of "Plus for the Lives of the People, a Reliable Ministry of Happiness and Safety." Minister Yoon stated, "Since the launch of the new administration, we have laid the foundation for the success of a government based on popular sovereignty and have focused all efforts on restoring the livelihoods of the people. Amid rapidly changing circumstances such as the AI transformation, the crisis of local extinction, and climate change, we have done our utmost to create a foundation for central and local governments to address these pressing issues."
The three major policy directions are: ▲ Discovering and promoting multi-layered policies spanning the nation, government, localities, communities, and individuals (safety and life) as the central ministry for state affairs; ▲ Embedding the values of participation, solidarity, and innovation throughout all policies to provide solutions to contemporary challenges; ▲ Establishing robust measures to support the socially disadvantaged and protect the lives of the people.
The five key tasks are: ▲ Establishing a "Nation of the People" through just social integration; ▲ Building an "AI Democratic Government" that is trusted by the people and rapidly innovates; ▲ Creating "Vibrant Localities" that leap forward through genuine autonomy and balanced growth; ▲ Fostering a "Warm Community" that thrives on solidarity and cooperation; ▲ Ensuring "Safety and Life for All," where every individual is valued.
In addition, the ministry selected as two "plus" initiatives areas of high public interest-economy and winter safety-by designating ▲ a "Robust Economy" that harmonizes livelihood and innovation, and ▲ a "Safe Winter" through thorough prevention and preparedness, as priorities for focused implementation.
Yoon Hojung, Minister of the Interior and Safety, is reporting to President Lee Jae-myung at the Government Sejong Convention Center on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News
Establishment of a Dual-Operation Administrative System... Launch of an Integrated Special City Comparable to Seoul
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety has proposed establishing a dual-operation system for major administrative systems to prevent a recurrence of national network outages. Thirteen core systems will be prioritized for the "Active-Active" disaster recovery (DR) framework. Facility standards for public data centers, including batteries and temperature/humidity control, will be raised to private-sector levels and managed strictly.
Furthermore, the ministry will implement an "AI National Secretary" and "AI Government24" to realize an AI democratic government, enabling citizens to easily access public services.
Next year, public services for five types of complex civil petitions closely related to daily life, such as restaurant business registrations, will be prioritized for improvement. A tentatively named "Basic Law on Citizen Participation" will be enacted, and a national communication platform called "Everyone's Square" will be established to systematically gather public opinions and proposals.
The ministry has also prepared measures to honor the public spirit that defended martial law and protected constitutional order on December 3, 1980, and will resume the Democracy Development Merit Award, which has been suspended since 2023, in June next year. Supporting the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, scheduled for October next year, to complete prosecution reform has also been selected as a key task.
To overcome the concentration of power in the capital region, the ministry proposed supporting the launch of an integrated special city with high autonomy, which will be granted a status equivalent to that of Seoul. In connection with this, the ministry will fully implement residents' councils and lower the voting age for recall elections from 19 to 18, thereby strengthening the foundation for resident- and community-centered autonomy.
By the end of this year, a "differentiated support index" based on distance from Seoul and the degree of socio-economic development will be established and applied across all areas, including finance and taxation. The annual 1 trillion won Local Extinction Response Fund allocation system will be reorganized to focus on population inflow performance. Regions where population increases due to local government efforts will be designated as "Population Vitality Plus(+) Regions" and will receive additional incentives.
To establish a foundation for a social solidarity economy that pursues both profit generation and social value contribution, the "Basic Law on the Social Solidarity Economy" will be enacted. Saemaul Geumgo will strengthen its role in social solidarity finance by enhancing soundness, expanding loans to social solidarity economy entities, and investing in regional development projects. In addition, efforts will be made to strengthen safety nets for vulnerable groups. CCTV coverage will be expanded in areas around elementary schools identified as safety blind spots, and 607 school routes will be established. Traditional markets will be newly designated as senior protection zones, and an AI-powered safety reporting system that allows automatic reporting through photos will be established by 2027.
The "Basic Law on Life and Safety" will be enacted to enshrine the right to safety as a legal right for the people, and a "Comprehensive Plan for Life and Safety" will be formulated in parallel. Minister Yoon stated, "By embedding the values of participation, solidarity, and innovation throughout our policies, we will do our utmost to protect the lives and safety of the people, realize an AI democratic government, revitalize localities through genuine autonomy and balanced growth, and restore weakened communities."
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