President Lee Rebuts Criticism Over Overseas Trips: "IV Drips and Nosebleeds... The Difference in Results"

President Lee Jae-myung pushed back against opposition criticism that his overseas trips are too frequent, saying, "As the saying goes, 'To the eyes of Buddha, only Buddha appears, and to the eyes of a pig, only pigs appear'—people can only see as much as they know, so please understand."

Resharing a social media post by an online user who responded to the opposition's criticism by stating that presidential overseas trips are not mere sightseeing, President Lee remarked, "From the perspective of those who think a president's overseas trip is about casually enjoying drinking, shopping, and sightseeing while taking photos and showing off without doing any work or preparation, even an overseas trip with intense advance preparation, long flights, a packed official schedule without even half a day off, and a workload so demanding that one frequently gets IV drips and suffers nosebleeds—far from tourism, shopping, or drinking and singing—might look like going on vacation."

President Lee added, "The press corps accompanying us, who experience it firsthand, will know best the difference in overseas trip schedules and work intensity between past and current presidents, and the resulting difference in the outcomes of those trips."

Director of the National Security Office Wi Sung-lac addressed the opposition's criticism of President Lee's overseas trips raised during the parliamentary audit on October 29, rebutting yesterday (October 30) that "it is not fair to raise issues claiming that there are particularly too many trips or asking why the First Lady is going," adding, "This will be the same regardless of who becomes the next president or which administration takes power."

Director Wi explained, "Our country's international standing has risen substantially, and there are multiple multilateral occasions throughout the year that our head of state must attend," noting, "Summit diplomacy customarily involves the first lady. First ladies also attend APEC, and there are dedicated programs for spouses as well."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
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