Lee hosts 'youth budget unboxing' event ahead of next year's spending plan

President Lee Jae Myung will personally explain next year's youth-focused budget allocations and key programs — and hear directly from young people — at a special event ahead of the government's formal budget announcement.

The session is designed to walk through planned spending and gauge public reaction before the budget is finalized, marking the first time the government has disclosed major budget items and programs to the public before the official announcement.

Lee will chair the "Youth Budget Unboxing 2027" event at Cheong Wa Dae on Friday afternoon.

The event will lay out the full scope of next year's youth budget and highlight key programs across ministries.

Notably, the presentations will depart from the conventional format in which ministers brief the president. Instead, working-level officials who actually designed each program will take the podium themselves.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget will open with a comprehensive overview of the 2027 youth budget, covering the overall scale, investment priorities and how programs are tailored to different stages of young people's lives.

The first session will feature the Financial Services Commission and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, followed by a second session with the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare — each presenting its key programs from a youth perspective.

The focus will be on high-impact areas young people feel most directly, including jobs, housing and financial services, with the government seeking feedback before policies are locked in.

After the ministry presentations, young participants and outside experts will offer their views on youth policy and programs, with ministers and working-level officials responding to their comments.

The event will bring together about 60 participants, including Prime Minister Han Seong-sook, related ministers such as Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol and Minister of Planning and Budget Park Hong-keun, FSC Chairman Lee Eok-won and representatives from nine related agencies, as well as youth advisers and youth advisory panel members from each ministry and specialists in employment, housing and welfare.