President Lee Highlights "Shadow of Polarization," Says Government Must Deeply Acknowledge Youth Alienation

Presided Over Cabinet and Emergency Economic Meetings
"Youth Asset Polarization Casts a Shadow over Semiconductor and Stock Market Achievements"
Calls for Swift Implementation of Shortened Stock Settlement Cycle
Stresses Need for Cutting-Ed

On June 23, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "The government must take seriously the sense of alienation among young people who feel that record bonuses and record KOSPI index levels are just stories from another world." He instructed that opportunities across all aspects of young people's lives—including jobs, asset formation, entrepreneurship, and housing—should be expanded so that improvements in economic indicators such as the semiconductor boom and the KOSPI's rise are not perceived as achievements limited to a select few. He also called for accelerating efforts to shorten the stock sale settlement cycle from 'T+2' to 'T+1' day.

President Lee Jae-myung is questioning Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yoon-cheol, who has just finished reporting to the ministries, at the Cabinet meeting combined with the Emergency Economic Review Meeting held at the Blue House on June 23, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

Presiding over the 27th Cabinet Meeting and 12th Emergency Economic Inspection Meeting at the main building of the Blue House that morning, President Lee said, "Although we are witnessing remarkable achievements such as a semiconductor boom and rapid growth in the stock market, there remains the dark shadow of asset polarization." He particularly emphasized, "The younger generation—who lack even the opportunity to build assets through stable jobs and income—are the most marginalized in our time."

President Lee stated, "There is no magic formula to instantly resolve the challenges young people currently face," and stressed, "Careful and consistent efforts across all policies are needed to provide more opportunities for the youth." He also mentioned the 'Youth Future Savings Account,' for which applications began the previous day, ordering officials to "make every effort in policy promotion and management so that young people can steadily build assets."

He instructed that improvements to the stock market system, specifically the acceleration of shortening the stock sale settlement cycle to 'T+1' day, should be carried out swiftly. President Lee said, "In this day and age, it may be difficult for market participants to accept that selling stocks means waiting two days to get their money back," adding, "If securities firms are benefiting from using these funds in the interim, there are unjust aspects to this, so we need to find ways to shorten the cycle."

Additionally, President Lee emphasized the need to continuously address weaknesses in the Korean economy that have been exposed since the Middle East war. He said, "The ceasefire agreement in the Middle East war is experiencing difficulties in follow-up negotiations," and urged, "Do not let your guard down until the very end; maintain the emergency system and accelerate the recovery of the people's livelihood and the economy." President Lee specifically noted, "This crisis has revealed the vulnerabilities in the supply chains for energy and raw materials," and stressed, "We need to move quickly toward strategic diversification, an energy mix centered on renewable energy, and the transition to a circular economy without plastics."

He also highlighted the need to foster new economic growth engines beyond semiconductors. President Lee said, "We must develop new K-industries—such as robotics, aerospace, K-bio, and K-defense—that rival the existing semiconductor sector," and added, "We must unite our efforts to become an industrial powerhouse with an overwhelming edge that no one can challenge or replace."

President Lee also called for administrative innovation to support these goals. He stated, "Over the next four years, we must fill in and systematize the contents of national innovation," and emphasized, "Speedy administration, which quickly implements even seemingly minor tasks that directly affect people's lives, and proactive administration, which identifies and addresses issues on the ground, are important." He continued, "If we only fix things once and move on, problems may recur. We need to institutionalize and systematize cases of innovation permanently."

He also commented on the changes in Korea's international standing that he observed during his recent tour of Europe. President Lee said, "I heard that the British media wrote articles about including the Republic of Korea in the G7," and noted, "Compared to my overseas trip last year, there have been many changes within just one year." He added, "Many world leaders wanted bilateral talks with the President of Korea, to the extent that it was difficult to accommodate everyone due to time constraints," identifying advanced industries, defense, culture, democratic capacity, and tourism demand as new sources of national power for Korea.

President Lee Jae-myung is reviewing documents at the Cabinet Meeting and Emergency Economic Inspection Meeting held at the Blue House on June 23, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee once again expressed strong regret over the shortage of ballot papers at the National Election Commission and pointed out the need to expand the investigative personnel at the joint investigation headquarters. He stated, "The world admires Korea's democracy, yet the National Election Commission, which is responsible for its core, committed an unthinkable act in a state of uncontrollability—there is no excuse for this." He continued, "We must thoroughly look into not only the problems that occurred during the voting process, but also any related corruption, budget waste, hiring irregularities, and other internal management issues that the public finds unacceptable. Any criminal issues should be investigated, clarified, and those responsible must be held accountable."

He also called for a strict response to fake news and manipulated content that incites hate or ridicule. President Lee said, "In the past, these may have been dismissed as jokes or excessive expressions, but now they have become systematic tools of attack and means of unfair profit," adding, "Even spreading false information by saying 'someone said so' cannot be free from responsibility. Law enforcement agencies must respond strictly."

Meanwhile, on June 29, President Lee will invite CEOs from major domestic companies such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and LG to the Blue House to announce the regional balanced development investment strategy in the format of a national briefing session. This event will mark the first public disclosure of specific implementation plans to spread advanced industries such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors to the regions, following President Lee's proclamation of a 'grand national transformation' as the administration's second-year policy direction. The companies are expected to outline their domestic investment plans linked to each group's core businesses, including AI semiconductors, data centers, future vehicles, batteries, and advanced materials, while the government is expected to present a package of support measures for regional investment, such as tax incentives, deregulation, and the provision of electricity, water, and talent.

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