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.<br />Kim Min-ji tells us more. <br />The South Korean government will establish a committee under the Prime Minister's Office to overlook youth-related policies.<br />The decision was reached during a meeting on Thursday between the ruling Democratic Party,... the government and the presidential office.<br />As legislation is required before the committee's establishment,... a government task force will be put together beforehand.<br />"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."<br />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.<br />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.<br />"We will be taking long-term efforts to ease the burden on young people. We will meet with young people to find appropriate solutions."<br />Conditions haven't been the most favorable for the country's youths,... weighed down, in part, by a slowing economy and aging population.<br />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.<br />That figure takes into account... people that have given up on looking for work... as well as part-time workers.<br />On top of that, rising living costs and... worsening income polarization are also a burden for the average youth.<br />"We will join efforts to systematically deal with the issues and come up with policies that meet young people's standards."<br />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.<br />They vowed to boost communication and encourage participation among young people -- when drawing up policies,... as they know their own problems the best.<br />Kim Min-ji, Arirang News. <br />
