Self-reliance in space tech, maritime sovereignty protection, criminal justice system overhaul discussed at President Lee Jae Myung's policy planning committee
South Korea may lower the minimum age for noncitizens to get dual citizenship, the state affairs planning committee, tasked with rolling out policy plans for President Lee Jae Myung, said Tuesday.
The state affairs planning committee was briefed by the Overseas Koreans Agency the same day, where discussions covered ways to allow double citizenship to noncitizens younger than the current age limit of 65, according to the committee's spokesperson, Rep. Jo Seoung-lae.
In a briefing by the Korea Aerospace Administration, the state affairs planning committee said the goal of increasing self-reliance in space technologies came up as one of the main policy items.
The state affairs planning committee said measures will be sought for promoting the use of eco-friendly materials in the aerospace industry.
The national space advisory committee, for space-related research and development initiatives, will also be expanded into the national aerospace advisory committee, the spokesperson added.
The Overseas Koreans Agency and the Korea Aerospace Administration are new government bodies that launched in 2023 and 2024, respectively, under the last Yoon Suk Yeol administration.
The state affairs planning committee, after a briefing by the Coast Guard, said policies for protecting sea sovereignty, including the introduction of maritime domain awareness, were reviewed.
Also on the table Tuesday was an overhaul of the criminal justice system, a main policy priority of the Lee Jae Myung administration.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which was set up as part of former Democratic Party of Korea President Moon Jae-in's initiative to downsize the prosecution service, would get expanded powers, the state affairs committee said.
Shortly after Lee took office earlier this month, the ruling Democratic Party proposed a set of bills seeking to abolish the prosecution service and create new investigative bodies that will be overseen by the executive branch.
How the authorities will be distributed among the CIO and the new investigative bodies was still being discussed, the state affairs planning committee said.
The state affairs planning committee receives briefings from ministries and government agencies daily to come up with a roadmap for how the Lee Jae Myung administration will run the country for the next five years.
The committee, which kicked off June 16, will operate for 60 days, with a possible extension of 20 days.
arin@heraldcorp.com
