President Lee Jae-myung will meet young people directly on the 19th to hear their views on practical concerns such as jobs and housing.
Lee will attend the 2026 Youth Day ceremony, titled "From the Youth," at the Yeongbingwan guest house of the Blue House at 2 p.m. that day. The ceremony is divided into two parts: "To the Youth" and "From the Youth."
In the first part, Lee plans to stress that young people are "the future of the nation" and that the problems they face go beyond individual hardship to become "a challenge for the community." Awards will also be presented to those who have contributed to advancing youth policy.
The second part features an open mic session in which young people speak for themselves. Two individual presentations and four group presentations will lay out views on the society they hope for and on key youth policy areas including jobs and housing. Lee plans to hold a question-and-answer session and open discussion with participants after the presentations.
The presidential office said it will use the event to reflect young people's views more actively in the policy-making process. It is expected to focus on jobs and housing, the issues young people feel most acutely, gathering views on the ground and looking for ways to incorporate them into future youth policy.
About 150 people will attend, including young people recruited through the official website, officials from youth organizations, government youth advisers, members of the Youth Policy Coordination Committee and recipients of youth policy awards. The government will be represented by the prime minister, the presidential chief of staff and the senior secretary for youth and the future.
