President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday he will create a new ministry to tackle the country's low birth rate.
Yoon made the remark during an address to the nation marking the second anniversary of his presidency.
"In order to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency, we will fully mobilize all of the state's capabilities," he said.
The head of the new ministry, tentatively named the "low birth response planning ministry," will double as the deputy minister for social affairs and draw up policies across the education, labor and welfare sectors that will become the national agenda, he said.
Yoon requested the active cooperation of the opposition-controlled National Assembly in revising the government organization law to enable the launch of the new ministry.
The address will be followed by a press conference with reporters at the presidential office. (Yonhap)
