President Lee Jae‑myung pushes financial market overhaul and bans seating young women beside officials

During a July 15 cabinet briefing at the Blue House, President Lee Jae‑myung addressed a slate of reforms. He said South Korea’s asset allocation is overly weighted toward real estate, calling it “very primitive” and urging a shift to productive finance. He ordered rapid corrective measures for the single‑stock leveraged ETFs on Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, warning that they have heightened market volatility.

Lee highlighted the need to normalise and advance the capital market, noting Korea’s exclusion from the MSCI advanced‑market index and urging faster legislative action such as the “stock‑price‑suppression‑prevention law.” He endorsed debt‑relief for long‑term overdue borrowers, describing it as a social‑circulation measure rather than charity, and supported expanding whistle‑blower rewards for reporting corruption.

In a separate warning, Lee told public officials not to seat young women beside them at drinking gatherings, citing recent incidents and labeling the practice a potential cause of accidents. The briefing also included participation from a citizen panel of about 200 people, reflecting government openness to public input.