President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea makes his New 12 months’s deal with from the Blue Home in Seoul on Jan. 1, 2026. (courtesy of the Blue Home)
President Lee Jae Myung pledged that in 2026, Korea would transfer from “unstable progress” underneath the specter of conflict to “secure progress” supported by peace.
“As a ‘pacemaker,’ we’ll actively help the resumption of North Korea-US talks and proceed pursuing the restoration of inter-Korean relations this yr,” Lee mentioned in his 2026 New 12 months’s deal with on Thursday. “Steadfast peace is synonymous with progress, and sturdy safety is the driving drive behind prosperity.”
Lee’s remarks counsel his administration will again US President Donald Trump’s hopes of arranging a summit with North Korea across the time of his go to to China in April.
“By changing the price of hostility into the dividends of peace, we are able to remodel the present ‘Korea threat’ right into a ‘Korea premium”’ sooner or later,” Lee mentioned, including that the federal government is “steadfastly implementing measures to ease army tensions and restore belief between the 2 Koreas and is constructing consensus with the worldwide group, together with the USA and China, on peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”
Lee reiterated his want for 2026 to be “the primary yr of an incredible leap ahead for the Republic of Korea.”
“We’ll be certain that the fruits of progress achieved by means of this large leap are shared by all, somewhat than monopolized by a privileged few. To this finish, we’ll make all-out efforts to eradicate the rule-bending and unfair practices that persist all through society and commit ourselves to constructing a society freed from deceit and unjust privilege,” he mentioned.
Throughout the identical speech, Lee outlined “5 paths” for this transformation.
First, Lee mentioned he would lead a shift from Seoul-centered progress to regionally led progress.
“Transitioning from a ‘unipolar, Seoul-centered mannequin’ to a ‘five-pole, three specialized-zone framework’ just isn’t a favor to the provinces — it’s an important technique for nationwide resurgence. The farther a area lies from the Seoul metropolitan space, the stronger and extra decisive the help it would obtain,” he promised.
Lee added that he would design a system wherein regional growth is pushed by high-tech industrial growth, from AI testbed cities and renewable vitality clusters to a semiconductor belt within the energy-rich south.
Within the speech, Lee emphasised that progress ought to profit all people.
“Though the nation united behind the profitable conclusion of tariff negotiations with the USA, it’s simple that the instant advantages shall be concentrated amongst sure giant firms,” Lee acknowledged. “Now, the beneficial properties achieved by means of collective nationwide effort should attain SMEs and startups and in the end translate into tangible advantages for all residents.”
“As we transition from an employment-focused society to a startup-driven one, the federal government will spare no effort in enabling younger entrepreneurs and enterprise founders to take daring dangers and pioneer new paths of innovation,” the Korean president mentioned.
Lee additionally made a degree of emphasizing security in his New 12 months’s message.
Noting that Korea has “the very best charge of business fatalities amongst OECD nations,” the president requested, “What which means does progress maintain if members of the family go away dwelling within the morning and by no means return within the night?”
“The prices and penalties of neglecting human life have to be made far better than they’re in the present day,” he mentioned.
“We’ll be certain that secure working environments and a tradition of respect for all times take agency root by growing the variety of labor inspectors by 2,000 and introducing a brand new office security guardian system.”
The president additional pressured a “nice transformation from product-driven progress to engaging progress led by tradition.”
“To make sure Ok-culture doesn’t stay a passing fad, we’ll strengthen your entire cultural ecosystem, together with the positive arts that underpin well-liked tradition,” the president mentioned.
By Web optimization Younger-ji, workers reporter
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