President Lee says Korea should learn from European protests to sustain growth

President Lee Jae Myung urged officials at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday to learn from protests in Europe and sustain growth in Korea. He said low growth could be a fundamental cause of Europe’s unrest and linked it to youth unemployment, economic polarization and weakened public finances. Lee called for investment in future industries, stronger domestic consumption and measures to improve livelihoods. He also said the Serious Crime Investigation Agency chief’s Cabinet meeting attendance was legally appropriate and unrelated to political neutrality.

Lee cited France, Spain and Italy among the European countries swept by protests over rising living costs and economic inequality.

Lee said Korea faces livelihood difficulties and gaps in income, assets and jobs, especially among younger generations, despite recent impressive economic indicators.

He said the proposed measures could expand the economy and stabilize state finances.

SCIA chief Kim Ji-yong attended the Cabinet meeting for the second time, departing from the past practice of investigation agency chiefs staying away from such meetings.

Published Oct 27, 2026 11:36 am KST

Updated Oct 27, 2026 11:50 am KST

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung said Tuesday that Korea should learn from growing public protests in Europe, citing low growth as a potential reason for the unrest and stressing the importance of ensuring sustained growth at home.

The president made the remarks at a Cabinet meeting, as a wave of protests and mass demonstrations over rising living costs and economic inequality has swept across European nations, including France, Spain and Italy.

"As large-scale protests have occurred recently in many European countries, social confusion and conflict have ensued," Lee said. "We should take the European situation as an example of what not to do."

Lee said many experts pointed to high energy and living costs, a stagnant economy and accumulated inequality as factors gripping Europe, adding, "The biggest and most fundamental reason might be low growth."

"Prolonged low growth has worsened youth unemployment and (economic) polarization and weakened fiscal status, shaking social stability from the root," the president said of the European situation.

Despite recent "impressive results" in Korea's economic indicators, the country is also experiencing difficulties in people's livelihoods and gaps in income, assets and jobs, especially among younger generations, Lee said.

"To solve problems like these, sustainable growth would be very important," he noted, instructing officials to proactively mobilize policy measures to invest in the growth of future industries, promote domestic consumption and improve people's livelihoods.

Those measures would help expand the economy and stabilize state finances, laying the foundation for sustainable growth, the president said.

The president also defended the attendance of the chief of the newly launched Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) at Cabinet meetings amid criticism that such attendance could compromise the agency chief's political neutrality.

SCIA chief Kim Ji-yong attended Tuesday's Cabinet meeting for the second time, following his attendance at last week's meeting, breaking with the past practice of investigation agency chiefs staying away from Cabinet meetings.

Lee said openly attending Cabinet meetings has nothing to do with political neutrality and that such attendance is legally appropriate for the head of an organization under the president's supervision, calling the change a "normalization of (past) abnormalities."

韩国总统李在明周二在内阁会议上敦促官员们吸取欧洲抗议活动的教训，并保持韩国经济增长。他表示，经济增长缓慢可能是欧洲动荡的根本原因，并将其与青年失业、经济两极分化和公共财政疲软联系起来。李在明呼吁加大对未来产业的投资，增强国内消费，并采取措施改善民生。他还表示，重案组组长出席内阁会议符合法律规定，与政治中立无关。

李指出，法国、西班牙和意大利等欧洲国家都爆发了抗议活动，抗议者不满生活成本上升和经济不平等。

李表示，尽管韩国近期经济指标亮眼，但韩国仍面临民生困难以及收入、资产和就业方面的差距，尤其是在年轻一代中。

他表示，这些提议的措施可以扩大经济规模，稳定国家财政。

国家情报院院长金智勇第二次出席内阁会议，打破了以往调查机构院长不参加此类会议的惯例。

发布于2026年10月27日上午11:36（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月27日上午11:50（韩国标准时间）

周二，韩国总统李在明在首尔青瓦台主持内阁会议并发表讲话。（韩联社）

李在明总统周二表示，韩国应该从欧洲日益高涨的公众抗议活动中吸取教训，他指出经济增长缓慢可能是造成动荡的原因之一，并强调确保国内持续增长的重要性。

总统在内阁会议上发表了上述讲话。此前，一波抗议和大规模示威活动席卷了包括法国、西班牙和意大利在内的欧洲各国，抗议者不满生活成本上升和经济不平等现象。

李说：“近期欧洲多国爆发大规模抗议活动，引发社会混乱和冲突。我们应该以欧洲的局势为鉴，避免重蹈覆辙。”

李表示，许多专家指出，高昂的能源和生活成本、停滞不前的经济以及不断加剧的不平等是困扰欧洲的因素，他还补充说，“最大、最根本的原因可能是经济增长缓慢。”

总统在谈到欧洲形势时说：“长期低增长加剧了青年失业和（经济）两极分化，削弱了财政状况，从根本上动摇了社会稳定。”

李表示，尽管韩国近期的经济指标取得了“令人瞩目的成绩”，但该国人民的生活也面临困难，收入、资产和就业方面存在差距，尤其是在年轻一代中。

他指出，“要解决这类问题，可持续增长至关重要”，并指示官员们积极调动政策措施，投资未来产业发展，促进国内消费，改善民生。

总统表示，这些措施将有助于扩大经济规模，稳定国家财政，为可持续增长奠定基础。

总统还为新成立的严重犯罪调查局 (SCIA) 局长出席内阁会议辩护，此前有批评称，这种出席可能会损害该机构局长的政治中立性。

国家情报院院长金智勇继上周出席内阁会议后，第二次出席了周二的内阁会议，打破了以往调查机构院长不参加内阁会议的惯例。

李表示，公开出席内阁会议与政治中立无关，而且作为总统领导下的机构负责人，这种出席在法律上是合适的，他称这一变化是“（过去）不正常现象的正常化”。