President Lee’s Remarks Deriding Foreign Workers Spark Outcry; Progressive Opposition Calls His Response “Small-Minded Blame-Shifting”

[Financial News] Progressive opposition parties, including the Rebuilding Korea Party (RKP), have strongly condemned President Lee Jae Myung over his remarks on the “economic contribution of foreign workers,” calling them “outrageous remarks rooted in ignorance and prejudice, as well as an attempt to turn the tables.” As the fallout grew, the Blue House stepped in to contain it, but the opposition’s attacks appear to be intensifying.

The controversy began at the Cabinet meeting on the 27th. While discussing labor shortages in the agriculture and livestock sectors and proposing a program to subsidize labor costs when domestic workers are hired, President Lee said, “Even if we bring in foreign workers, they don’t do much to help the national economy. They send it all back to their home countries.”
After migrant worker groups and others criticized the remarks as disparaging, President Lee posted a rebuttal on X (formerly Twitter) on the 28th. Targeting some media reports, he said, “There’s a difference between saying ‘doesn’t help’ and ‘doesn’t help much.’” He complained that the media had distorted his remarks by omitting a word, despite his having used a comparative phrasing to say that foreign workers contribute less than Korean workers.

Rather than easing tensions, President Lee’s explanation further inflamed the progressive opposition parties’ fierce backlash.
Lee Hyun-jin, labor committee chair of the Rebuilding Korea Party, said in a statement on the 28th, “These are outrageous remarks rooted in prejudice that could never have been made by anyone who had even once looked at the harsh realities of South Korea’s workplaces.” Lee criticized him, saying, “There is not a single industry—from manufacturing to care work—that can function without migrant workers.” Lee added, “Instead of thanking them for their hard work, the president treats them as a burden and is leading the way in driving a wedge between people,” and called for an immediate apology.
Hong Seong-gyu, a spokesperson for the Progressive Party, also said in a briefing that the remarks were “blatantly xenophobic, denying the reality that migrant workers are a solid pillar of our economy.” He particularly condemned President Lee’s explanation, saying, “When he should have honestly acknowledged what he said and apologized, he instead blamed the media for leaving out the word ‘much.’ That was ‘all the more’ inappropriate—and a small-minded attempt to turn the tables.”
Kim Na-yul, a spokesperson for the Justice Party, also rebuked him, saying, “Don’t denigrate migrant workers and then take it out on the media,” and adding, “Even with the explanation that it was a comparative way of speaking, the attitude that disparages migrant workers’ labor remains unchanged.”

As the controversy spread, the Blue House stepped in to contain it. Ryu Deok-hyeon, the Blue House’s senior aide for fiscal planning, posted on X that day, defending the president: “Some concerns about the wording should be taken into consideration, but it is inappropriate to cut out the context and turn this into a controversy over xenophobia toward foreigners.”
Ryu said, “The contributions of foreign workers are clear, and they must be treated fairly,” but explained, “The point of President Lee’s remarks was that we should boldly change our policy paradigm so that more Koreans can take part in agricultural jobs that rely absolutely on foreign labor.” Despite the Blue House’s explanation, criticism—particularly from progressive circles—is expected to remain strong for some time.


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter