Presidential chief of staff issues directive at senior secretary meeting; also orders broader youth participation in policymaking

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik [Yonhap]
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik [Yonhap]

Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said Monday that surplus tax revenue expected from the semiconductor boom should be channeled into projects benefiting future generations, while bold investment in new growth engines is also needed to expand quality jobs.

Kang made the remarks at a senior secretary meeting he chaired that afternoon at Cheong Wa Dae, also directing officials to ensure that future generations have ample opportunity to participate directly in the policymaking process, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing.

Kang warned that failing to tackle pressing problems out of fear of social controversy would cause the burden on future generations to grow uncontrollably.

"Let us ensure that the current and future generations share the costs of running the country fairly, and work together to find rational alternatives from the perspective of the national interest and future generations in order to secure investment resources for them," he said.

He also called on officials to guarantee sufficient opportunities for future generations to participate directly in the policymaking process.

Kang sharply rebuked the relevant agencies over the death of a reservist in his 20s during training in Pocheon last month and a food poisoning outbreak that recently occurred at a reservist training center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. He asked what young people could possibly think of the state, the government and the military given such incidents, Ahn said.

"The place where young people stop their livelihoods and give their time in service to the nation and community must not become a place filled with distrust," Kang said. He ordered the presidential office for defense affairs and related departments to conduct a ground-up review of the entire reservist training system, not just food service and sanitation.

Kang also addressed the recent detention of salt farm operators in South Jeolla Province on charges of assaulting and confining workers, saying it was "devastating and shameful" that labor exploitation and human rights abuses of the kind seen in the Sinan-gun salt farm cases of 2014 and 2021 had recurred in 2026.

He ordered the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korean National Police Agency and other related ministries to conduct a thorough nationwide survey of employment conditions at salt farms, investigate whether similar cases exist and draw up effective measures to prevent a recurrence.


sang@heraldcorp.com