Vehicles are waiting at a checkpoint to pass through the Civilian Control Zone in the inter-Korean border area. © Il Young Jeong Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University Autumn is not only the season of harvest but also a time to prepare for the year ahead. Governments, too, are particularly busy during this period. The regular session of the National Assembly, which opened on September 1, is now preparing for parliamentary audits of government agencies and deliberations on next year’s budget. The government has submitted a proposed budget of 820.9 trillion won for 2027 to the National Assembly. Amid an unprecedented semiconductor boom and rising tax revenues, the government has been seen as taking a proactive approach to fiscal policy, including the establishment of a 160 trillion won fund for responding to future challenges. Against this backdrop, how has the Ministry of Unification’s budget been allocated? This column examines the 2027...
* At a town hall meeting held in northern Gyeonggi Province in November 2025, President Lee Jae-myung, along with the Ministers of National Defense and the Interior and Safety, listens to remarks from residents of the border region . © Blue House Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University The South Korean government is pushing to move the Civilian Control Line (CCL) northward and ease regulations governing military facilities in border areas. In this regard, the Ministry of National Defense has announced plans to “actively pursue the lifting and easing of restrictions on protected areas in order to enhance the rights and interests of the public and revitalize local communities, while maintaining a robust military readiness posture.” From the perspective of easing tensions in border areas and addressing the inconveniences faced by local residents as the government pursues a policy of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Penin...