President Lee Calls to Replace Term 'Normal Family,' Saying Many New Types Can Exist

President Lee Jae-myung said today (October 14) regarding the concept of the so-called "normal family" in government policies and legal systems, "Let's change the terminology. There can be many other types as well."

President Lee made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon at the "Population Strategy Vision Proclamation Ceremony of the Sovereign Citizen Government" held at the Blue House, saying, "Traditional concepts of family are still deeply rooted in our society."

President Lee explained, "When a man and a woman hold a wedding and register their marriage to live together, it is called a 'normal family,' which implies that other families are abnormal. There are voices suggesting that we should not divide them into normal and abnormal, but rather look at whether they are traditional or non-traditional, new types."

He added, "To what extent should we tolerate and accept new types of family structures? I will stop here as further discussion could provoke serious controversy, but we also need to have such conversations."

Citing examples from Europe where the issue of population decline was addressed through various measures such as expanding support for single-parent families, President Lee said, "Our society tends to view unwed mothers somewhat strangely. Shouldn't we face this societal atmosphere head-on and pave the way forward?"

Regarding state caregiving support, he also noted, "We are planning to pursue a national jobs project. For example, the public sector could take responsibility for jobs in certain productive fields as a form of income guarantee; while not year-round, we should consider giving opportunities for a certain period to those who want them."

President Lee pointed out that while the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology causes productivity to surge, job losses could decrease economic demand and lead to an imbalance.

He added, "I believe we should prepare for a basic income in the long term, but consensus has not yet been reached. What we need to do as a preceding step is a jobs program."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.