The Public Procurement Service announced revisions to strengthen safety and fairness in construction engineering evaluations and to reduce bidding burdens on companies, effective January 2026. The revisions include expanding the scope of penalty points for poor design and construction, and instituting anonymous evaluation of proposals. Additionally, the revision aims to reduce the burden on small businesses by expanding the scope of pre-priced bidding and improving the calculation criteria for new employment rates.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Disabled Development Institute held a performance sharing event. The event was aimed at sharing the progress of the pilot project and discussing future directions. The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to thoroughly prepare for the transition of the pilot project to a full-scale program.

Jin Young-joo, Director of Social Welfare Policy, visited Jeonju Wansan District Office and beneficiary households on December 11. Home-based medical benefits provide integrated services to support medical aid recipients in settling in the community after discharge. Director Jin discussed operational experiences and challenges, and considered improvements based on user feedback.

Minister Kim Seong-hwan of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment attended the completion ceremony of the first Jeonnam Offshore Wind Farm in Sinan-gun, Jeonnam. This project, initiated by private sectors, is the first offshore wind farm in Korea and is considered a model case for resolving various regulations and conflicts through cooperation. Minister Kim pledged to actively implement policy tasks in accordance with the offshore wind infrastructure expansion and distribution plan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has agreed to resume the ‘Junior Diplomat Exchange Program’ as part of Korea-Japan normalization’s 60th-anniversary projects. This program was previously held between 1999-2001 and 2012-2017, and is now being restarted. A junior diplomat will be dispatched to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for two weeks starting December 11, and a Japanese diplomat will visit Korea next year.

In the future, population criteria for adjusting administrative districts will include foreigners. This means that foreigners will be considered along with natives in district adjustments such as city, gu, and eup establishments. More details can be found in the attached materials provided by Mingyu Kim from the Local Autonomy Support Department.