Lim Kwanghyun: "Paycheck Defense Force TF to Be Set Up at Presidential Office to Cut Workers' Living Costs"

Presidential Chief of Staff Lim presides over senior presidential secretaries' meeting on the 9th
"A paycheck account should be a lake where money can stay for a long time"

Lim Kwanghyun, Chief of Staff to the President, said on the 9th, "We will set up a Paycheck Defense Force task force (TF) in the Presidential Office to swiftly implement policies that make a tangible difference by reducing workers' living expenses and increasing their disposable income. I ordered the TF to be established last week."

Lim made the remarks at a meeting of senior presidential secretaries, according to a written briefing by Ahn Gwi-ryeong, deputy spokesperson for the Presidential Office. "There is a self-deprecating saying that a paycheck account is just a stopover," Lim said. "A paycheck account should be a lake where money can stay for a long time, not a stopover where it briefly passes through." He also reiterated that President Lee Jae-myung had established the Paycheck Defense Force and planned and developed policies for workers when he was leader of the Democratic Party.

Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun answers reporters' questions after announcing the nominations of the new justice minister, the commissioner of the National Tax Service, and the senior presidential secretary for political affairs on Nov. 6, 2026. Yonhap News

"The government is working to ease the eligibility requirements for the basic deduction on comprehensive income tax, raise the cap on the rent tax credit, and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)," Lim said. He added, "Measures to strengthen the role of retirement pensions, including mandatory external funding of retirement pensions, which will be phased in starting in 2028, can prevent unpaid severance pay and may also generate relatively higher returns. We will consult with the National Assembly to ensure the relevant bills are passed as soon as possible."

Lim also said, "We are preparing to implement measures included in next year's budget proposal, such as expanding refunds under the Everyone's Card to reduce transportation costs, providing full tuition support for children attending local national universities, increasing the government's share of childcare service costs, and establishing a fund to help our children become financially independent. We will do our utmost to ensure the budget proposal is passed on time."

Lim also said that policies to reduce wedding costs would be pursued in earnest. "A Fair Trade Commission investigation last week found that about 47% of wedding venues and wedding service businesses offering studio, dress, and makeup services did not disclose important price information," he said, pointing to the problem of opaque wedding costs.

To address this issue, Lim said the government would promote the disclosure of price information and expand the designation of wedding venues as "Good Price Establishments." He also said the government would swiftly open more public wedding venues to the public so that newlyweds and their parents could feel the impact of reduced wedding costs.

"The lives of workers are at the heart of people's livelihoods," Lim said. "The Paycheck Defense Force TF will begin its work in earnest to continuously identify and implement policies that can reduce living expenses and increase disposable income."

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