(LEAD) Lee says S. Korea should learn from European protests to sustain growth

President Lee Jae Myung emphasized on Tuesday that South Korea should draw lessons from the growing public protests in Europe, attributing the unrest to low growth and stressing the need to maintain sustained economic growth at home. The president made these comments during a Cabinet meeting, as a surge of protests and mass demonstrations over rising living costs and economic inequality has gripped European nations like France, Spain, and Italy.

Large-scale protests in various European countries have caused social confusion and conflict, according to Lee. He stated that the European situation should serve as a cautionary example of what not to do. Many experts have highlighted high energy and living costs, a stagnant economy, and accumulated inequality as factors troubling Europe, with the president asserting that the primary and most fundamental reason might be low growth.

He explained that prolonged low growth has exacerbated youth unemployment, economic polarization, and weakened fiscal status, destabilizing social stability from its core. Despite recent impressive economic achievements in Korea, Lee stressed the importance of learning from Europe's experience to ensure continued growth.