What changes did President Lee Jae Myung propose for Korea’s population policy?

Lee called for a major turnaround that would pursue qualitative as well as quantitative population growth. He said Korea should redesign its social and economic systems around population changes, including reforms to labor, welfare, employment, housing and childcare.

How does President Lee Jae Myung say AI can help address Korea’s demographic changes?

Lee described AI-induced innovation as an opportunity to restructure employment, education, elderly care and childcare. He presented the technology as a way to redesign social systems as Korea faces aging, low birth rates and other demographic shifts.

Why did President Lee say Korea needs to redesign its social system?

Lee cited rapid population aging, low birth rates, a growing immigrant population and the emergence of various family structures. He said the goal should be a country where people can live happy lives throughout their life cycles, regardless of where or with whom they live.

Lee calls for restructuring social system to meet needs of changing population structure

Listen

Summary

President Lee Jae Myung called for restructuring Korea’s social system during a presidential population strategy committee meeting on Wednesday. He said rapid demographic changes require a major turnaround in policies covering labor, welfare, employment, housing and childcare. Lee also said AI-driven innovation offers an opportunity to redesign employment, education, elderly care and childcare. He highlighted population aging, low birth rates, immigration and diverse family structures as key demographic trends.

Key Facts

People aged 65 and older account for more than 21 percent of Korea’s total population, placing the country in the super-aged society category.
The population strategy committee meeting included government ministers and dozens of citizens who were involved in designing population policies.
Lee called for both qualitative and quantitative population growth rather than relying solely on increasing the population size.
The president said Korea’s social and economic systems should be redesigned from scratch in response to population changes.
Lee identified labor, welfare, employment, housing, childcare and education as areas requiring policy improvements.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 14, 2026 4:00 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung attends a meeting of the presidential committee on population strategy at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called for restructuring Korea's social system to reflect rapid changes in demographics, stressing the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) provides an opportunity to redesign the industrial, employment, education and other sectors.

The president made the call during a meeting of the presidential committee on population strategy, attended by government ministers and dozens of citizens and aimed at helping design the country's population policies.

Korea has been grappling with a fast aging population, with people aged 65 and older already accounting for more than 21 percent of the total population, making the country a "super aged society," where over 20 percent of its population are aged 65 years or more.

Lee called for policies to facilitate "qualitative," as well as "quantitative," population growth, saying the country needs "a major turnaround" in its population policies.

"This means, Korea's entire social and economic systems should be redesigned from scratch in accordance with population changes," the president said, citing labor, welfare, employment, housing and childcare as sectors that require policy improvements in line with population changes.

The president pointed out that AI-induced innovation, in particular, marks an opportunity to restructure the social system, including employment, education, and elderly care and childcare.

Besides population aging and low birth rates, the president cited growth in the immigrant population and the emergence of "various forms of family structures" as new demographic trends, stressing that the key priority would be to "make a country in which all people can enjoy happy lives throughout their life cycles."

"The clue to resolving population issues would be found only when (people) have hope that they and their families can grow together and be happy together, no matter where they live or with whom they live," the president noted.

Explore More