President Lee: "The Youth Are the Truly Vulnerable Generation... We Must Scale Up the Pie to Expand Opportunities"

President Lee attends "Youth Budget Unboxing" Event
"Failure has become a shortcut to ruin, not the mother of success"
"A society where opportunities match effort is the nation's responsibility"
"The government must create 'bestselling policies'"

On the 28th, President Lee Jae-myung described the younger generation as "the most vulnerable generation in a true sense, with the least opportunities and the greatest hardships." He stated, "Before telling young people to work harder, it is the nation’s responsibility to create a society in which they can earn opportunities proportionate to their efforts." In particular, he identified economic growth as the fundamental solution to the lack of opportunities facing young people, saying, "The most important thing the government must do now is scaling up the pie."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the 'Youth Budget Unboxing 2027' event held at the Blue House on the 28th. This event was organized to explain the youth budget and key projects ahead of the announcement of next year's government budget plan. August 28, 2026, Yonhap News.

During his opening remarks at the "Youth Budget Unboxing 2027" event held at the Blue House that afternoon, President Lee said, "When I was growing up, sayings like 'endure hardships while you're young,' or 'failure is the mother of success' were quite persuasive. But nowadays, failure might seem less like the mother of success and more like a fast track to ruin."

President Lee added, "There is now anxiety that if you fall once, you may never get back up or spend your life burdened with debt." He analyzed, "A low-growth society in which opportunities have decreased, and a shift in our society from being dynamic to being stable, are major causes." He noted, "From a societal perspective, this is development, but from the vantage point of individuals, it has led to very challenging circumstances."

He particularly emphasized that the youth must now be seen as a group in need of policy protection and support, unlike in the past. President Lee said, "The older generation used to think that as long as young people are healthy, with bright futures ahead, there was no need for special protection—just provide them with opportunities." He continued, "But now, there are no opportunities. Competition is so fierce due to a lack of opportunities, and competition itself has become suffering."

He added, "Friends become not just competitors, but targets in a war. Instead of comrades working together to overcome obstacles, people feel they need to step on their friends just to survive. In the past, young people used to be the most dynamic and hopeful group, but now they have become the most vulnerable, with narrow opportunities, great struggles, and misunderstood even as their difficulties grow," he explained.

President Lee also voiced concern over the reality that young people’s hopes for the future have weakened. "In the past, no matter how tough things were, there was hope that 'the next generation will live better than me,' or that 'my own future will be better than my parents' generation.' That’s no longer the case. Blaming others is not the answer—creating solutions fit for these circumstances is the government's duty," he said.

President Lee named economic growth as the first task in addressing youth issues. He stressed, "Creating opportunities for economic success is the most important thing. At this juncture, the most crucial thing the government can do is scale up the pie. We are concentrating all national strength to drive our economy from downward to upward growth."

He continued, "Recently, we are seeing some results as the growth rate rises little by little. It is the government’s responsibility to sustain this progress. Only when the pie grows and opportunities increase will debates about how to divide those opportunities rationally and fairly become meaningful."

He also called for a shift in youth policy design—from being supply-centered to demand-centered. President Lee said, "We need to reflect on whether government policies have truly started from the needs of young people, or if they have simply been designed for administrative convenience rather than based on demand. We must boldly fix what needs to be fixed."

He added, "If we liken administration to management, policies are like products and publicity is marketing. It is not enough to create good policies—they must also be easy for young people to understand, readily accessible when needed, and able to be felt in their daily lives. Young people need to be able to sense, 'This policy genuinely improves my life.'"

President Lee further stated, "Just as our companies lead the world market with the best products, the government and its ministries must craft the world’s best policies that are most needed by youth. Please develop 'bestselling policies' that young people will seek out and choose willingly," he requested.

President Lee Jae-myung is applauding after a participant's presentation at the "Youth Budget Unboxing 2027" event held at the Blue House on the 28th. This event was organized to explain the youth budget and key projects ahead of the announcement of next year's government budget proposal. 2026.8.28 Yonhap News Agency

He also stressed the role of younger public officials. President Lee said, "People like myself or the Prime Minister may be motivated, but it doesn’t always translate into effective results. Generation gaps mean our perspectives don’t always align." He urged, "Younger public servants must listen more closely to voices on the ground and ensure that the perspectives of youth are reflected in national policy changes."

He also shared his experience as mayor of Seongnam, when he identified shortcomings in youth policies compared to those for other generations and introduced basic youth income. "Whenever we make a policy, we need to consider it as if it concerns our own children, reflecting hundreds of times before deciding," he said, pledging, "The people's government will continue to approach youth issues as closely as possible and do its utmost until the end."

The event was attended by Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol, Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-geun, as well as the heads of relevant ministries, youth advisory panels for each ministry, and experts from the private sector.

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