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South Korean domestic policy priorities under Lee Jae-myung

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2026-10-21 07:11 UTC → 2026-10-21 16:16 UTC · added ~~removed~~

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has expanded his administration’s domestic agenda to include addressing regional disparity and population decline. The government is introducing a ‘Local Preference Index,’ a metric that categorizes 229 regions into four tiers based on economic development, aging populations, and distance from Seoul to facilitate differentiated financial and regulatory support. Starting next year, these tiers will influence central government policies. For instance, the government subsidy rate for local gift certificates in Tier 4 areas—the highest priority for support—is set to rise from 7% to 9%. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety intends to apply this index across various sectors, including taxation, regulation, and procurement, to ensure targeted regional support. On the economic and housing front, the President continues to push for an accelerated supply strategy, described as a ‘supply blitz.’ He has emphasized the need to shorten the time required for land development, permitting, and construction to ensure residents feel the impact of increased supply. However, these projections have faced criticism from opposition parties, who have labeled them ‘unrealistic’ and accused the administration of misinterpreting public sentiment by relying on social media engagement. In the judicial and safety sectors, the administration is moving to reform the Resident Registration Act to prevent domestic violence perpetrators from accessing victims’ addresses through legal proceedings. Furthermore, the President has instructed the Major Crimes Investigation Agency (MCIA) to demonstrate its necessity by conducting impartial, high-stakes investigations into white-collar and power-based corruption, asserting that investigations should be conducted ‘without sanctuary.’ Additionally, the President has reaffirmed his commitment to reclaiming wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, framing military sovereignty as a core component of national sovereignty.

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