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Voters overwhelmingly rejected the South Korean conservative agenda in the 2024 parliamentary elections. President Yoon Suk-yeol, already a massively unpopular leader, will likely face calls to resign from within his own party amid a potential investigation of First Lady Kim Keon-hee. Despite this, foreign policy will be the one area where Yoon may be able to make some progress. He will likely continue to strengthen ties with Japan, the United States and Europe despite the legislative deadlock at home.
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Indonesia has shown a continued commitment to social protection programs, with an average of 16 per cent of the state budget allocated from 2013–23, facilitating significant poverty reduction. New initiatives focus on education, health insurance and workforce competence. The latest proposed scheme is a free lunch program aimed at addressing malnutrition, easing the financial burden on low-income families and stimulating local economies. The time has come to view social protection as a contributor to economic growth, not just a safety net for the vulnerable.