With youth-related problems becoming a chronic social issue here in Korea,... the government is going to pull out all the stops to address the situation and ease the burden on young people.
Kim Min-ji tells us more.
The South Korean government will establish a committee under the Prime Minister's Office to overlook youth-related policies.
The decision was reached during a meeting on Thursday between the ruling Democratic Party,... the government and the presidential office.
As legislation is required before the committee's establishment,... a government task force will be put together beforehand.
"When the committee is established,... we'll be handling overall youth-related policies. On top of dealing with employment,... we will be able to tackle a wide range of issues related to young people, like education, welfare, marriage and the low birth rate."
The presidential office and ruling party will also be making individual efforts... by creating separate affiliated bodies solely dedicated to working on youth-related matters.
The ruling party also vowed to swiftly pass related laws by seeking cooperation from the opposition bloc,... as well as boost next year's budget to deal with youth-related issues.
"We will be taking long-term efforts to ease the burden on young people. We will meet with young people to find appropriate solutions."
Conditions haven't been the most favorable for the country's youths,... weighed down, in part, by a slowing economy and aging population.
The youth jobless rate was at 10-point-8 percent in March, but a broader figure hovers at around 25 percent,... the highest since relevant data was first compiled in 2015.
That figure takes into account... people that have given up on looking for work... as well as part-time workers.
On top of that, rising living costs and... worsening income polarization are also a burden for the average youth.
"We will join efforts to systematically deal with the issues and come up with policies that meet young people's standards."
The three sides acknowledged that despite efforts until now,... they've been unable to properly address youth-related issues,... and that policies have been devised by the older generations.
They vowed to boost communication and encourage participation among young people -- when drawing up policies,... as they know their own problems the best.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.
