Government reviews dedicated youth ministry, prepares for power-institution overhaul

The government is reviewing the creation of a dedicated ministry for youth policy to make such programs more tangible to young people, while also preparing the organizational structure, personnel and facilities needed for a sweeping reform of powerful state institutions and pushing ahead with a "Second National Normalization Project."

The Office for Government Policy Coordination announced Wednesday at a ministerial work report held at Cheong Wa Dae that it would review establishing a dedicated youth ministry as part of a broader overhaul of youth policy governance — alongside plans to operate a youth policy coordination committee and create a new ministerial meeting on youth affairs.

The move follows President Lee Jae Myung's remarks that "an organization dedicated to deeply thinking about and acting on youth issues is needed."

The office also said it would establish an independent research institute and a dedicated agency specializing in youth policy, assigning them roles as policy think tanks and centers for cultivating related talent.

Additional plans include strengthening online and offline youth policy platforms, introducing a youth satisfaction index and a youth impact assessment, and expanding youth outreach, communication and participation in policy.

On the reform of powerful state institutions, the coordination office said it would prepare the organizational structure, personnel and facilities in time for the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and a new public prosecution office in October.

It added that the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency would be prioritized first, given the time required to hire new staff and build the necessary facilities.

On expanding the autonomous police system, the office presented a road map targeting a pilot launch in 2027 and full implementation in 2028, with plans to discuss a model for institutional reform and regions for the pilot program.

For locally driven growth, the government plans to establish three core strategies — national spatial redesign, cultivation of strategic industries by region, and building a foundation for regional vitality — along with eight specific tasks.

These include completing Sejong's function as the administrative capital, developing regional hub cities, expanding transportation networks, advancing three broad metropolitan area development zones, introducing mega special zones, nurturing local talent, relocating businesses and public institutions to the regions while promoting investment, and overhauling the support system.

The coordination office also said it would pursue the "Second National Normalization Project," adding that it would "collect proposals broadly from frontline civil servants and the general public, as well as from businesses, associations and stakeholders, to identify and select tasks."