"It's allowed in other countries—why not in Korea?"
That is the standard for regulatory reform set by Park Yong-jin, vice chairman of the Presidential Regulatory Rationalization Committee. His vision goes beyond business-centered deregulation to prioritize resolving inconveniences that citizens experience in daily life. In an interview with the Seoul Economic Daily at his private office in Gangbuk, northern Seoul, on Sunday, Park said, "I will lead regulatory rationalization that people can directly feel in their lives."
As a prime example, he cited the "hot dog boy" at baseball stadiums. "Beer gets delivered to your seat, but hot dogs don't—that's hard to accept," Park said. "We need to change a situation where people pay to attend and still have to put up with inconveniences." On the issue of ticket scalping, he added, "If someone bought a ticket but can't go, they should be able to resell it in a reasonable way. It could be solved simply by having the club act as an intermediary within a certain range."
This perspective has also been reflected in capital market policy. The transition to "T+1" settlement—cutting the stock settlement period from two days to one—gained momentum after Park personally proposed it to President Lee Jae-myung. The night before a capital market roundtable, Park sent his proposal to the president via Telegram, and Lee immediately replied "OK." The following day, the settlement period reduction was officially announced at the roundtable.
Still, Park cautioned that "bureaucratic inertia could hold things back during implementation." He pointed out that "bureaucrats have a strong tendency to view regulations as their own authority." He added, "Bureaucrats still take a leisurely, unhurried approach," and explained, "As a politician, I will directly reflect the president's promises and the public's demands to accelerate deregulation."
As a key upcoming priority, he proposed a "one-shot resolution" of autonomous driving regulations. "We need to lift regulations wholesale—as an entire area, not point by point or line by line—for the industry to survive," Park said, raising his voice. "We only have two to three years left." He added, "Gwangju Metropolitan City has already been designated as a regulatory sandbox for autonomous driving. I want to expand it further and, when results come in, invite President Lee for an on-site visit."
Asked about the potential conflict between corporate deregulation and regulations that affect citizens' daily lives, Park said, "They must go hand in hand. Companies need a foundation for growth, and citizens need to feel changes in their lives—that's how growth momentum is created." He added, "Until now, regulatory innovation was perceived only as resolving corporate grievances. But I will use 'citizen-oriented regulatory rationalization' as my left foot and 'corporate regulatory reform' that supports business activity and revives growth momentum as my right foot—using the whole pitch like Son Heung-min."