President Lee Jae Myung held a live press conference marking his 100 days in office at the Presidential Office in Seoul.
Here's the latest:
-Lee pledges to keep pragmatic approach on Japan following Ishiba's resignation announcement
President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday he would maintain a pragmatic approach on diplomacy with Japan, although Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced his intention to quit over an election defeat.
Lee made the remarks at a press conference marking his first 100 days in office, days after Ishiba announced his resignation over a domestic political crisis, amid concerns over trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.
Lee acknowledged that ties with Tokyo remain "difficult" due to historical and territorial issues, but reiterated his principle of pursuing cooperation while addressing disputes separately.
"While we should not turn away from historical and territorial disputes, my position is that we should approach future-oriented issues, such as social, economic and people-to-people exchanges, separately," he said.
Lee and Ishiba agreed to pursue "future-oriented" relations during their summit in Tokyo last month, but tensions persist after Seoul boycotted a memorial for the Sado mine over Tokyo's refusal to acknowledge the coercive nature of wartime labor mobilization.
He explained that the Seoul government decided not to attend the Sado mine memorial after consultations with Tokyo failed to reach an agreement. (Yonhap)
-Lee vows continued push for N. Korea dialogue despite lukewarm response
President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday North Korea remains lukewarm toward his peace overture but vowed to continue efforts to resume talks with Pyongyang.
Marking his 100th day in office, Lee acknowledged little progress in improving inter-Korean relations despite steps taken by his government to ease tensions, but reaffirmed his commitment to promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"North Korea's attitude remains cold. It is the reality we face," Lee said during a press conference. "Although there has been no special progress, we are constantly making efforts."
Lee stressed the importance of coordination with the United States, noting that Pyongyang regards Washington, not Seoul, as the core threat to its regime and prioritizes ties with the US over inter-Korean relations.
He said he offered to play the role of "pacemaker" during his summit with US President Donald Trump last month, believing Trump's resumption of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would help advance peace on the peninsula. (Yonhap)
-Lee says Korean companies would be hesitant about US investment over immigration raid
President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday that South Korean workers detained by US immigration authorities in Georgia will be released at 3 p.m. (Seoul time), voicing concerns that Korean firms would be hesitant about US investment due to the immigration raid.
The US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant would prompt Korean companies to be "very hesitant" about their potential decision to make direct investments in the US, Lee told a press conference marking his 100 days in office.
Lee said the raid would have an impact on companies that plan to set up factories in the US because they will be concerned about "disadvantageous" treatment by the US authorities.
For companies, Lee said it "could be disadvantageous or difficult to set up a factory there, so they can't but agonize over it."
"According to the latest information, (they) will leave the detention facility at 3 p.m.," Lee said.
A chartered plane carrying 306 Koreans, including 10 females, and 14 foreign nationals will depart around 1 a.m. Friday and arrive in Seoul in the afternoon, Lee said, noting that one worker opted to remain in the US due to a family member who is a permanent resident.
Lee explained that the departure, initially planned for Wednesday, was delayed after US officials insisted on transporting the workers in handcuffs. Seoul strongly protested, he said, and Washington reversed its stance, citing "a directive from the White House."
"President Donald Trump ordered, 'Let them return freely, but those who don't want to go don't have to.' So the process was temporarily halted to change the administrative procedures," he said. (Yonhap)
-Lee says he aims to achieve national unity and end a political divide as he marked his 100 days in office
He pointed to signs of improvement in economic indicators and a rebound in the stock market, citing the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index reaching a record high earlier in the day.
He also pledged to improve relations with North Korea and advance efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)
