Presidential Secretariat Youth Future Advisory Group Concludes Six-Month Activities, Proposes Six Final Policy Initiatives

Six Meetings and Consultations Held Over Six Months, Resulting in 40 Policy Ideas
Includes Freelancer Career Certification, Youth Credit Counseling, and Social Initiation Education
Kang Hoonshik: "A Good Example of Youth Concerns Developing into

The Youth Future Advisory Group, led by Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoon-sik, has concluded its six-month term and made its final proposals to the Blue House, suggesting six policy tasks including the establishment of a freelancer career certification system and the creation of a youth credit and financial counseling support system.

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief Secretary, is taking a commemorative photo with attendees after the final meeting of the presidential secretariat's Youth Future Advisory Group at the Blue House on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On the 14th, the Blue House announced that it had held the 'Final Meeting of the Presidential Secretariat Youth Future Advisory Group,' presided over by Chief Secretary Kang. The Youth Future Advisory Group, launched in November last year under Kang’s leadership, has brought together young people, field activists, and experts to discuss a wide range of issues such as youth employment, finance, and policy accessibility.

During the meeting, Lee Juhyung, Youth Affairs Officer and secretary of the advisory group, reported on the progress of the group’s operations and the final outcomes. The group held a total of six meetings and working-level consultations, through which it identified 40 policy ideas and selected 10 key tasks. After review and consultation with relevant ministries, six final policy tasks were selected.

The final tasks are as follows: ▲ Establishment of a freelancer career certification system ▲ K-Agriculture and Fisheries Rural Youth Working Holiday ▲ Establishment of a one-stop youth credit and financial counseling support system ▲ Introduction of a youth opportunity guarantee system ▲ Implementation and operation of comprehensive youth policy consultations ▲ Social first-step education for high school seniors.

The responsible ministries for each task are as follows: the Ministry of Employment and Labor is in charge of establishing the freelancer career certification system and introducing the youth opportunity guarantee system; the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for the K-Agriculture and Fisheries Rural Youth Working Holiday; the Financial Services Commission oversees the establishment of the one-stop youth credit and financial counseling support system; and the Office for Government Policy Coordination is in charge of the comprehensive youth policy consultations and the social first-step education for high school seniors.

The Blue House explained that these tasks focus on supporting youth entry and exploration in the labor market, early intervention and recovery for youth in crisis, and strengthening accessibility to youth policies. In particular, the freelancer career certification system reflects young people's concerns that, in the current environment where platform labor and project-based jobs are increasing, it is difficult for actual work experience to be officially recognized as career experience.

During the meeting, advisory members also shared their thoughts. Committee member Ahn Yesle said, "It was rewarding to see that our suggestions and opinions did not just end as input, but were developed into concrete policy alternatives." Committee member Eom Bowoon suggested, "Please provide more opportunities so that young people can become the agents of policy, not just its beneficiaries."

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief Secretary, is presiding over the final meeting of the Presidential Secretariat Youth Future Advisory Group at the Blue House on the 14th. Photo by Yonhap News

Chief Secretary Kang, regarding the task of establishing a freelancer career certification system, stated, "You have spoken about the reality that many young people are not recognized for their work experience, and I said that we must find a solution to this issue at all costs," adding, "This is a good example of how the concerns of young people have been developed into actual policy."

Kang also stated, "I will continue to do my part to ensure that these proposed tasks are substantively reflected in policy," adding, "I will work to create methods, structures, and processes for young people to participate as true agents of policy."

The Blue House plans to work with relevant central ministries and fiscal authorities to ensure that the six tasks proposed by the Youth Future Advisory Group are implemented as actual policies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.