President Lee Jae-myung returned home via Seoul Airport after completing a seven-day, five-night trip to the United States and Mexico on the occasion of the UN General Assembly.

On Sunday evening (Sept. 27), President Lee and First Lady Kim Hea-kyung disembarked from Air Force One, welcomed by Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok, Floor Leader Han Byung-do, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ihk-pyo, and Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung.

President Lee shook hands one by one with the welcoming officials.

Minister Yoon told President Lee, "You worked hard," while DP leader Kim laughed heartily, leaning back as he spoke with the president.

Earlier in New York, President Lee completed a packed schedule, including attending the UN General Assembly, holding a South Korea-U.S. summit, and participating in a business forum.

In his keynote address at the 81st UN General Assembly, President Lee stated that he would pursue growth through cooperation based on mutual respect for each other's systems and acknowledgment of differences between North and South Korea.

He also expressed his intention to pursue multilateral dialogue among relevant countries, including South Korea, North Korea, the United States, and China, to establish a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.

In addition, to resolve energy supply chain disruptions highlighted by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, he proposed a "solidarity of constructive contributing nations," in which countries with the capacity and willingness to supply global public goods take the lead in broadening areas of cooperation.

Following the UN General Assembly, President Lee held his third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

During the 30-minute meeting held in a separate room on the sidelines of a reception hosted by President Trump and the First Lady, the two leaders discussed key security issues between South Korea and the United States, including nuclear submarine fuel, uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing, shipbuilding cooperation, and the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON).

The summit also covered "cooperation in the shipbuilding sector, including naval vessel construction."

Following his visit to the United States, President Lee made a state visit to Mexico—the first by a South Korean president in 16 years—where he emphasized the need for a comprehensive trade agreement between the two nations during a summit with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

An official from the presidential office explained that the "trade agreement" mentioned by President Lee refers to a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), noting that the two countries agreed to conduct a joint study on the pact's economic impact.

In Mexico, the largest consumer of K-content in Latin America, the presidential couple also attended an event to meet Mexican youths who love K-pop.

They then concluded their state visit to Mexico by briefly watching a performance by K-pop group Stray Kids with attendees and Mexico's Minister of Culture while holding light sticks.

Having concluded his seven-day overseas trip, President Lee is now expected to turn his focus to pending domestic matters.

First, he is expected to deliberate deeply on reshaping the presidential staff, including whether to accept the resignation of Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and appointing a successor to former Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom, who has already stepped down.

Attention is also on who will be nominated for the vacant ministerial posts at the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, following the withdrawal of nominees during the recent cabinet reshuffle.

Other critical tasks include preparations for the launch of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Agency, scheduled in less than a week, as well as whether to appoint Kim Ji-yong as head of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency, whose nomination is undergoing additional scrutiny amid pushback from some within the broader ruling bloc.

Another pressing issue is Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae's refusal during President Lee's trip to accept the president's request to reconsider recommendations for Supreme Court justice nominees.

The intensifying offensive from the opposition over a recent suspected landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) also presents a significant challenge.

The conservative opposition has been escalating its attacks, claiming the government is intentionally delaying the investigation.

Follow-up actions regarding the repatriation to South Korea of two North Korean prisoners of war—disclosed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly in breach of a confidential agreement—are also drawing keen attention.

Other issues confronting President Lee include U.S. requests for military involvement in the Strait of Hormuz, mending internal divides within the broader ruling bloc over prosecution reform, and seeking a rebound in approval ratings.

(Photo: Yonhap News)