On September 11, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held a press conference at the Blue House to mark his first 100 days in office. During his address, after which he took questions from reporters, Lee vowed to be the president for all – which seems to be a move to integrate the country that has been severely divided by Yoon Suk-yeol’s illegitimate declaration of martial law on December 3.
Since Lee took the presidency, the ruling Democratic Party swiftly made moves to pass a series of special counsel bills investigating Yoon’s failed a self-coup, his alleged attempt to suppress an investigation into the death of a marine, and numerous allegations of his wife’s wrongdoings. When Yoon was in office, he repeatedly used his power of veto to avoid the extensive investigations and checks over him and his wife. Despite Yoon’s consistent refusal to cooperate with the country’s judicial system, the truth over what happened during martial law has been gradually unveiled.
DP leader Jung Chung-rae also has made a strong drive in the National Assembly to carry out key reforms such as dispersing the power of the prosecution and increasing the number of justices in the Supreme Court. Lee himself, prior to assuming office, was a target for repeated investigations by the prosecution and faced multiple legal charges that Lee and his supporters dismissed as politically motivated. The president thus also expressed his support for the DP’s moves to carry out prosecutorial reforms that have been discussed for decades.
The prosecution office originally had two superpowers – investigation and prosecution – but now these powers will be separated to two different offices. The timeline of this plan has not been set but the DP has vowed to accomplish this mission before South Korea’s Chuseok holidays in October.
Lee said the past 100 days had been a time for recovery and restoration of the country since South Koreans had to witness the unprecedented events invoked by Yoon and his party during the winter. Although Lee had to immediately jump take up the presidency without having a transition period, he touted the achievements of his government such as the record high reached by the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI). Vowing to build a solid society for the lives of the people, he also reiterated his willingness to tackle the country’s sluggish consumption.
“With the great people of South Korea, [I am] confident that we can overcome any difficulties,” Lee said during his address. He also said that, as a captain of the ship of South Korea, he will make South Korea a real sovereign country where people can feel like they are masters of the country and achieve happiness together.
Lee also responded, albeit cautiously, to an event that has roiled South Korea-U.S. relations. A week prior to Lee’s address, 316 South Korean employees at a Hyundai plant in Georgia were arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). South Koreans were shocked to see images of the workers – citizens of a key U.S. ally in East Asia brought over to help establish a South Korean factors in the United States – in handcuffs and shackles. After talks between the U.S. and South Korean governments, the detainees are likely returning to South Korea on September 12.
While avoiding any direct criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, Lee indirectly showed his concerns by noting that the South Korean conglomerates will now be hesitant to make investments in the U.S. due to the unprecedented incident.
Many in South Korea claimed that the recent ICE raid was punishment for Seoul’s hardball stance during the tariff negotiations with Washington. Denying that there is a dual agreement on tariffs, Lee said he will always make decisions match with the interests of the country.
Lee also touched on North Korea in his remarks. During his summit meeting with Trump in August, Lee flattered the U.S. president to entice him to make moves as a “peacemaker” that might resolve North Korea’s nuclear threats. Despite Lee’s pro-dialogue gestures toward North Korea, Pyongyang has ruled out the possibility of restoring inter-Korean dialogue, claiming it sees no difference between Lee and the far more hawkish Yoon administration.
Considering Pyongyang’s close ties with Russia and its explicit direction to strengthen China-Russia-North Korea trilateral cooperation, Seoul will find it challenging to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations.
In his press conference on September 11, Lee acknowledged the limited role of South Korea, which does not have wartime operational control. North Korea views the United States as its counterpart for dialogue. Regardless of North Korea’s reactions or behavior, Lee emphasized the importance of defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, implying that he would make friendly gestures preemptively without expectations that North Korea would return “goodwill for goodwill.”