Lee's migrant worker remarks fall short of embracing Korea's growing diversity

President Lee Jae Myung made remarks on Tuesday stating that migrant workers do not "contribute much to the national economy" because they send their earnings abroad. Upon receiving criticism following his comments during a Cabinet meeting, he emphasized a word that was absent from a newspaper headline - "much." However, adding that word does not resolve the fundamental issue of whether the president perceives foreign workers as part of Korea's growing diversity or primarily judges their value based on where they spend their income.

During the discussion, Lee instructed officials to contemplate offering wage subsidies to entice Korean workers into sectors such as agriculture, forestry, livestock farming, and fisheries. He argued, "For national security reasons, we must sustain agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and fisheries." He further contended, "Bringing in foreign workers doesn't contribute much to the national economy because they send all their earnings home."

Upon The Hankyoreh, a local daily newspaper, reporting migrant rights groups' criticisms, Lee demanded a correction and apology due to the omission of "much" in the headline. The newspaper subsequently rectified the error by adding the word. The president, however, did not provide further clarification on his stance regarding the integration of foreign workers into Korea's increasingly diverse society.