Politics · South Korea · 1 hr ago
South Korean journalists’ union urges president to address criticism over migrant worker remarks
At a cabinet meeting in Seoul, President Lee Jae-myung said migrant workers do not greatly benefit South Korea’s economy because they send earnings to their home countries.
The remarks came during a discussion about worker shortages in farming and ways to support domestic agricultural jobs.
The newspaper Hankyoreh reported criticism from migrant worker advocates, with a headline that omitted the word “greatly” from Lee’s comment.
Lee said the headline misrepresented his meaning and called for a correction and an apology.
Hankyoreh’s journalists’ union said Lee should first answer criticism that his remarks diminished migrant workers’ contributions.
The union said migrant workers perform essential work in agriculture, manufacturing and care, and that public criticism of the president’s words is legitimate.
South Korea’s Justice Party also criticized the remarks; no further action is specified.
South Korea’s journalists’ union urged President Lee Jae-myung to respond to criticism that his remarks demeaned migrant workers before demanding an apology from a newspaper.
Lee said migrant workers do not greatly benefit the national economy because they send earnings to their home countries.
He asked the Hankyoreh newspaper to correct and apologise for a headline that omitted the word “greatly.”
The union said the distinction did not change the underlying criticism of his remarks and that migrant workers support key sectors of society.
The union also called for the newspaper to explain why its digital headline was changed.
- Who
- The Hankyoreh branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers and President Lee Jae-myung.
- What
- The union urged Lee to address criticism of his remarks about migrant workers before demanding a correction and apology from Hankyoreh.
- When
- The union issued its statement on October 28, 2026; Lee made the remarks on October 27.
- Where
- South Korea. Lee made the remarks at a cabinet meeting at the Blue House.
- Why
- The union said the remarks undervalued migrant workers’ economic contribution and that their impact should be open to scrutiny and criticism.
President Lee Jae-myung
Hankyoreh branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers
Meaning of the remarks
President Lee Jae-myung
Lee said he meant migrant workers help the economy, but not greatly compared with domestic workers.
Hankyoreh branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers
The union said the word “greatly” did not change the substance of remarks that undervalued migrant workers’ economic contribution.
Newspaper coverage
President Lee Jae-myung
Lee said Hankyoreh’s headline differed from the article’s text and called for a correction and apology.
Hankyoreh branch of the National Union of Mediaworkers
The union said the remarks and their effects were legitimate subjects for media scrutiny and criticised the president’s public pressure on a news outlet.
At a cabinet meeting, Lee said foreign workers do not greatly help the national economy and noted that they send earnings to their home countries.
Lee shared a Hankyoreh article on X and called for a correction and apology over its headline.
The Hankyoreh union issued a statement urging Lee to address criticism of his remarks and calling for an explanation of the headline change.
- President
- Lee Jae-myung
- Union statement
- October 28, 2026
- Cabinet meeting
- October 27, 2026, at the Blue House
- Hankyoreh headline dispute
- The headline omitted “greatly
- Lee’s X post
- About 11:15 p.m. on October 27
3 sources
What people are saying
There is a big difference between saying they do not help and saying they do not help greatly.
What the president needs is not to impose his interpretation on the media, but to reflect on the weight of his remarks and respond responsibly to criticism of them.
Migrant workers sustain local economies through essential work across Korean society, including in rural areas, manufacturing and care.