President Lee’s Korea Policy Daily

Presidential Schedule – July 16, 2025: “Dialogue of Remembrance, Comfort, and Healing” (Cheong Wa Dae State Guest House) On July 16, 2025 (KST) , President Lee Jae-myung hosted a public conversation titled “Dialogue of Remembrance, Comfort, and Healing” at the Cheong Wa Dae State Guest House . The session invited families, frontline workers, experts, and community representatives to reflect on shared losses, listen to first-hand experiences, and identify concrete follow-up actions for institutional improvement and trauma support. At a Glance 15:00 “Dialogue of Remembrance, Comfort, and Healing” / Cheong Wa Dae State Guest House Why this matters National remembrance policies are effective only when they lead to institutional learning and preventive reform . By convening the dialogue at an official venue, the administration signals that testimonies will be translated into policy changes—clarifying responsibilities across ministries, setting measurable mil...

Presidential Schedule – July 15, 2025: 31st Cabinet Meeting On July 15, 2025 (KST) , President Lee Jae-myung chaired the 31st Cabinet Meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul. The Cabinet Meeting is the government’s highest deliberative body, reviewing and approving major policies, budgetary plans, and legislative proposals. This session focused on economic recovery, fiscal strategy, public safety, and legal amendments. At a Glance 10:00 31st Cabinet Meeting / Presidential Office Key Policy Themes Economic recovery: Accelerating the execution of the supplementary budget, including consumption vouchers and emergency living support. Fiscal management: Balancing fiscal soundness with economic stimulus needs. Public safety: Strengthening disaster prevention and response systems, especially ahead of the summer rainy season. Legal reforms: Expanding the social safety net and enhancing industrial competitiveness. Why this meeting matters ...

Presidential Schedule – July 14, 2025: Lecture for New Grade 5 Managers & Gungpyeong 2nd Underpass Visit On July 14, 2025 (KST) , President Lee Jae-myung focused on two priorities: strengthening public-sector leadership and checking urban safety infrastructure. The morning program at the National Human Resources Development Institute (NHI) included a lecture for new Grade 5 managers and a luncheon discussion with trainees. In the afternoon, the President conducted an on-site safety inspection at the Gungpyeong 2nd Underpass , a location vulnerable to heavy-rain flooding. At a Glance 10:30 Lecture for new Grade 5 managers / National Human Resources Development Institute 12:20 Luncheon with trainees / National Human Resources Development Institute 13:40 Visit to Gungpyeong 2nd Underpass (on-site safety check) Why it matters Grade 5 managers are the backbone of Korea’s civil service—they translate policy into execution and coordinate across t...

Kim Keon-hee Arrest Warrant Hearing: Background, Key Issues, and Outlook (Aug 12, 2025) Who is she? Kim Keon-hee is the wife of South Korea’s ousted former President Yoon Suk-yeol . She served as First Lady from 2022 to 2024. On August 12, 2025 (KST) , she appeared at the Seoul Central District Court for a judge’s review of a special prosecutor’s request to detain her pending trial—commonly called a “pre-arrest warrant hearing.” A ruling was expected late Tuesday night or overnight, according to multiple outlets. Why this matters to an international audience This case intertwines legal accountability, political transition, and public trust. If the court approves detention, Kim could become the first former presidential spouse in South Korean history to be jailed on criminal charges—an outcome that would underscore how far Korea’s legal institutions will go in pursuing high-profile corruption cases. It also unfolds as her husband, ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol , is alr...

[Presidential Briefing] Dispatch of Special Envoys to Poland, Vietnam, Australia, and Germany — Customized Diplomacy to Expand National Interests (July 25, 2025) 🔎 Overview On July 25, 2025, the Office of the President of the Republic of Korea announced the dispatch of Special Envoys to four strategic partners— Poland, Vietnam, Australia, and Germany . The mission aims to proclaim the “Return of Democratic Korea” to the international community, present the new administration’s governing philosophy, and unlock tangible cooperation in defense industry , energy , critical minerals and supply chains , advanced manufacturing , digital , and AI . This is a practice-driven move aligning with the administration’s principles of national-interest-first, field-centered, and execution-focused diplomacy . 🌐 Why Now: Global Context The current world order is defined by overlapping transitions—supply-chain realignment, energy transition, technology-standard competition, and wide...

[Presidential Briefing] “No more bread soaked in tears” — President Lee’s on-site pledge to end repeated industrial accidents (July 25, 2025) Overview On July 25, 2025 at 10:30 a.m., President Lee Jae-myung visited the SPC Samlip plant in Siheung, the site of a recent fatal industrial accident. Joined by SPC leadership, front-line workers, and peers from the food manufacturing sector, the President condemned the recurrence of identical accidents in the same workplaces and demanded practical, field-ready measures rather than “performative checklists.” SPC announced a set of safety upgrades, and CJ Foodville and Crown Confectionery shared best practices. The President also spent time listening to workers’ first-hand accounts and requests. Key Message & Meaning From empathy to execution: “No more bread soaked in tears.” Framing safety as an issue of human dignity rather than a mere cost item, President Lee — a former wor...

[Business Leaders Engagement] President Lee Holds Consecutive Meetings with Top Conglomerate Chiefs (July 24, 2025) Overview: A Series of Engagements with Business Leaders On July 24, 2025 , Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung announced that President Lee Jae-myung has met with Korea’s top business leaders for the second consecutive week. On July 21, he met with Kim Dong-kwan , Vice Chairman of Hanwha Group; on July 22, with Chey Tae-won , Chairman of SK Group; and on July 24, with Lee Jae-yong , Chairman of Samsung Electronics. Each meeting took the form of a dinner gathering without a formal agenda, focusing instead on free and wide-ranging exchanges of opinion. Why now? The context behind consecutive meetings These back-to-back engagements go beyond ceremonial exchanges—they carry both economic and political significance. President Lee, who has emphasized livelihood-focused economic recovery and private-sector-led growth since the start of his term, appears ...

[Korea–Uzbekistan Summit Call] Advancing the Special Strategic Partnership (July 24, 2025) Overview: President Lee’s first phone call with President Mirziyoyev On July 24, 2025 , President Lee Jae-myung held his first telephone conversation since taking office with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan. Beyond ceremonial courtesy, the call functioned as an opening move to re-energize Korea–Uzbekistan ties and to add concrete substance to the two countries’ Special Strategic Partnership . The two leaders reaffirmed long-standing cooperation in transport and infrastructure , and signaled a shared intent to expand practical, mutually beneficial collaboration. Notably, President Lee asked for the Uzbek government’s attention and support for Korean companies operating in Uzbekistan—an explicit cue that Seoul’s economic diplomacy will prioritize business predictability and problem-solving on the ground. Key takeaways at a glance First leaders’ call: Reopens top...