Sean O'Malley

On July 3, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration released the “Dynamic Economy Roadmap” to outline the government’s long-term policy priorities and goals for the future growth of South Korea. There is much to digest in the document, though arguably, there is not much new here. For the most part, the document is a reflection of the rhetoric and policy goals the Yoon administration has been touting since day one, though now, they are neatly organized.

As I see it, there are three major shortcomings in this roadmap. First, it is a government-initiated document and seemingly reflects little negotiation or consensus with the opposition party that controls the legislature. Secondly, it does not discuss pension system and medical system reforms, perhaps Korea’s most pressing needs considering its demographic challenges. Lastly, it contains a number of unrealistic priorities that reflect the hyperbolic nature of many policy pronouncements regularly made by Korean politicians.

The first two shortcomings are fairly self-explanatory, but the third provides a lens through which we can consider the probability of policy fruition in greater detail. Therefore, I have selected a few policy priorities and goals and arranged them into three categories: unlikely; maybe and head-scratchers. Here we go.

It is unlikely the government will decrease the elderly poverty rate from 40.4 percent in 2023 to 20 percent or lower by 2035 unless natural attrition is the........

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