President Lee Returns from Overseas Tour, Faces Mounting Domestic Issues Including Personnel Appointments

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung returned home last night (September 27) after concluding a seven-day, five-night overseas tour. He is expected to immediately address a backlog of domestic issues, including the resubmission of Supreme Court justice nominations and the fallout over ministerial appointments.

Reporter Kang Cheong-wan has our top story today.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung returned home via Seoul Airport last night after completing a seven-day, five-night tour of the United States and Mexico.

In a keynote address at the UN General Assembly in New York, President Lee outlined his vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and during a summit with U.S. President Trump, he discussed the transfer of wartime operational control.

Behind-the-scenes details of the surprise summit with President Trump have also been disclosed by Blue House officials.

A Blue House official explained that President Trump delayed his UN General Assembly keynote address by 30 minutes as his meeting with President Lee ran longer than scheduled.

Toward the end of the meeting, the topic of golf came up naturally, and an anecdote was shared that President Trump instructed White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to arrange a golf outing with President Lee during the G20 summit in Miami this coming December.

During an event for leaders' spouses, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump reportedly kept the seat next to her vacant, waited for First Lady Kim Hea-kyung, and took a photo together.

During a refueling stop in Alaska on his way home, President Lee also held an impromptu press briefing with reporters.

Having returned from the overseas tour, President Lee will immediately resume his domestic schedule and confront a pile of pending issues.

President Lee is reportedly weighing whether to accept the resignation tendered last week by Blue House Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, as well as considering candidates for the vacant policy chief post.

The nomination of a new candidate for justice minister following the withdrawal of former nominee Kim Seung-won also remains an unresolved issue.

(Video by Jeong Sang-bo, Yoon Hyeong | Video Editing by Wi Won-yang | Graphics by Han Heung-soo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.