President Lee Urges Bipartisan Cooperation on Foreign and Security Policy

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has called for bipartisan cooperation on critical foreign and security policy issues, expressing regret that these vital matters have become entangled in political disputes. Speaking at a joint policy briefing for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Lee noted that in most developed countries, foreign and security policy are typically kept separate from partisan politics.

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We unfortunately see our most important foreign and security issues become targets of political conflict.

"We unfortunately see our most important foreign and security issues become targets of political conflict," Lee stated, emphasizing that while individuals hold their own ideologies and values, imposing them on others is unsustainable and inevitably leads to confrontation.

He further elaborated that the path to realizing one's own ideals and values lies in persuasion, minimizing resistance, and making concessions to achieve acceptance. This approach, he suggested, is more effective than loud pronouncements and finger-pointing.

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The path to realizing one's own ideals and values lies in persuasion, minimizing resistance, and making concessions to achieve acceptance.

President Lee particularly highlighted the different responsibilities faced by those in power compared to the opposition. "When you are responsible for the operation and destiny of a community, it is different from being on the opposing side," he said. "When on the opposing side, responsibility is not as great, so one cannot help but make assertions, and assertions can be effective."

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When you are responsible for the operation and destiny of a community, it is different from being on the opposing side.

However, he stressed that for those entrusted with the authority to govern the entire community, "practice is more important than assertion." He reiterated that the means of achieving goals differ significantly when holding power, contrasting the situation of being in opposition with the responsibility that comes with authority. "The more so, the more important it is to act humbly, to act rather than speak loudly, and to be responsible for results rather than making assertions," Lee concluded.

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The more so, the more important it is to act humbly, to act rather than speak loudly, and to be responsible for results rather than making assertions.