South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends a meeting with his senior secretaries at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 06 August 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Aug. 8 (Asia Today) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Saturday he will personally review 22 proposed policy changes involving loans, housing applications and taxes as part of an effort to eliminate disadvantages that can arise when couples marry.
The measures target what has become known in South Korea as the "marriage penalty," in which combining a couple's income or changing their household status after marriage can reduce eligibility for certain housing, lending or tax benefits.
"Young people should never hesitate to marry because of government policies," Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "The government will fulfill its responsibility so that marriage can be a hopeful new beginning rather than a burden."
Lee said he had ordered officials to examine institutional disadvantages that can result from marriage and report their findings.
