Presidential Office on Foreign Worker and Multicultural Controversy: "Please Consider Context and Substance"

▲ President Lee Jae-myung speaks at the second plenary meeting of the National Commission on Life and Safety held at Cheong Wa Dae on October 28.

Regarding the controversy sparked by President Lee Jae-myung's remarks on foreign workers' contribution to the domestic economy and his mention of reviewing preferential policies for multicultural families at public postpartum care centers, the presidential office stated, "The two topics are separate policy proposals," adding, "We ask that you consider the context and substance of the remarks together rather than specific words."

Kang Yu-jung, senior spokesperson for the presidential office, emphasized in a statement today (October 29), "Foreign workers were not the core of the remarks on labor and jobs made during the Cabinet meeting," adding, "The main point is that support for the agriculture and fisheries labor sector is too low, so productive, quality jobs in agriculture and fisheries with guaranteed wage levels must be created."

Earlier, on October 27, during a Cabinet meeting, President Lee addressed workforce shortages in the agriculture and livestock industries, saying, "Even if we bring in foreign workers to work, it does not help the national economy much, as they remit all their wages abroad."

Senior Spokesperson Kang also explained, "The issue raised on social media regarding maternal and child health support is not about eliminating support for multicultural families, but rather about raising the need to improve the system so that all families having children can agree with it, by enhancing the fairness and reasonableness of priorities in using postpartum care centers."

Yesterday (October 28), President Lee shared a post on his social media indicating that it is problematic for mothers from multicultural families and mothers who are persons of national merit to share the same second-priority status in reservations for public postpartum care centers.

He also wrote, "Beyond ensuring that multicultural families are not disadvantaged, we will thoroughly review whether there is a strong need to give them preferential treatment and whether the preferential system needs to be abolished, through consultations with local governments as well as revisions to enforcement decrees."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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