[REPORTERSNOTEBOOK] Lee's migrant worker remarks fall short of embracing Korea's growing diversity

President Lee Jae Myung defended his Tuesday remarks that migrant workers do not contribute much to the national economy because they send earnings home, after a newspaper omitted the word “much” from its headline. He said employing Korean workers would do more to support domestic consumption and demand, while the presidential office cited the need to reduce essential industries’ dependence on low-paid foreign labor. Critics argued that migrant workers contribute through their work and spending in Korea. The remarks came as residents with migration backgrounds reached a record 2.81 million in 2025.

Lee made the remarks while instructing officials to consider wage subsidies to attract Korean workers to agriculture.

The Hankyoreh added “much” to its headline after Lee demanded a correction and apology.

The Justice Party urged Lee to apologize to migrant workers before demanding an apology from the newspaper.

Residents with migration backgrounds accounted for 5.4 percent of Korea’s population in 2025.

Nearly one in 10 people in their 20s and 30s had a migration background, according to the Ministry of Data and Statistics.

Published Oct 28, 2026 3:46 pm 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 migrant workers don’t “contribute much to the national economy” because they send their earnings home.

When criticism followed his remarks at a Cabinet meeting, he focused on a word missing from a newspaper headline — “much.”

But restoring that word does little to address the larger question of whether the president sees foreign workers as members of Korea's increasingly diverse society or mainly judges their worth by where they spend their wages.

“For national security reasons, we must sustain agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and fisheries,” he said. “Bringing in foreign workers doesn’t contribute much to the national economy because they send all their earnings home.”

After The Hankyoreh, a local daily newspaper, reported migrant rights groups’ criticism, Lee demanded a correction and apology because its headline omitted “much.”

The newspaper subsequently added the word.

The president explained that he was comparing foreign workers’ economic contributions with those of Koreans.

Foreign workers contribute to the economy, he said, but employing Koreans would do more to support consumption and domestic demand because foreign workers send money overseas.

The presidential office also said his remarks reflected a need to reduce essential industries’ structural dependence on low-paid foreign labor.

Supporting agricultural employment is a legitimate policy goal, so is asking a newspaper to accurately convey a presidential remark.

Yet even with “much” restored, Lee’s explanation may appear to be placing migrant workers below Korean workers in terms of economic value because they send money abroad.

That reasoning overlooks the value they create by harvesting crops, manufacturing goods and building ships, regardless of where they spend their earnings.

Sending part of those earnings to family overseas does not undo the work performed here. It also does not mean foreign workers spend nothing in Korea. They also spend money on food, housing, transportation and other necessities.

Under the circumstances, migrant rights advocates challenged Lee’s remarks on precisely those grounds, pointing to the workers’ role in sustaining businesses and rural economies.

Among those criticizing the president was the progressive Justice Party, which urged him Wednesday to apologize to migrant workers before demanding an apology from the newspaper.

The party said workers should not face presidential rebuke for sending their hard-earned wages to families abroad.

The timing can make Lee’s comments especially worrisome.

Just a day earlier, data from the Ministry of Data and Statistics showed that Korea’s population with migration backgrounds had risen for two consecutive years to a record 2.81 million in 2025, accounting for 5.4 percent of all residents.

Among people in their 20s and 30s, nearly one in 10 has a migration background.

Growth in this population also offsets a decline among residents without migration backgrounds, preventing the overall population from shrinking.

These figures cover a broader group than foreign workers, including naturalized citizens, second-generation immigrants and North Korean defectors.

They nevertheless show that more people in Korea have roots across borders, and the country’s leader needs a mindset that reflects this changing reality.

A president’s words help shape how people treat their neighbors and colleagues.

When foreign workers hear that they “do not contribute much,” the distinction between “not much” and “not at all” does little to make them feel accepted in Korean society.

As Korea’s population becomes more diverse, inclusion requires more than accepting foreign workers when employers need them.

韩国总统李在明周二发表言论称，由于外籍劳工将收入寄回国内，因此他们对国民经济贡献不大。此前，一家报纸在标题中漏掉了“贡献不大”一词。李在明对此进行了辩护。他表示，雇用韩国工人更有利于提振国内消费和需求。总统府则强调，有必要减少关键行业对低薪外籍劳工的依赖。批评人士则认为，外籍劳工通过在韩国工作和消费对国家经济做出了贡献。与此同时，拥有移民背景的韩国居民人数预计将在2025年达到创纪录的281万人。

李在指示官员考虑提供工资补贴以吸引韩国工人从事农业时发表了上述言论。

在李要求更正和道歉后，《韩民族日报》在其标题中增加了“很多”字样。

正义党敦促李显龙先向外籍劳工道歉，然后再要求报社道歉。

到2025年，具有移民背景的居民将占韩国人口的5.4%。

据统计部统计，20多岁和30多岁的人群中，近十分之一的人有移民背景。

发布于2026年10月28日下午3:46（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，外来务工人员“对国民经济贡献不大”，因为他们把收入寄回了家乡。

在内阁会议上发表讲话后，他受到了批评，但他却把注意力集中在报纸标题中缺少的一个词上——“很多”。

但恢复这个词并不能解决一个更大的问题，即总统是将外国劳工视为韩国日益多元化的社会成员，还是主要根据他们如何支配工资来评判他们的价值。

他说：“出于国家安全的考虑，我们必须维持农业、林业、畜牧业和渔业。引进外国劳工对国民经济贡献不大，因为他们会把所有收入都寄回家。”

在当地日报《韩民族日报》报道了移民权利组织的批评之后，李要求该报更正并道歉，因为其标题遗漏了“很多”。

报纸随后加上了这个词。

总统解释说，他是在比较外国劳工对经济的贡献与韩国劳工对经济的贡献。

他表示，外国劳工对经济有贡献，但雇用韩国人更有利于支持消费和国内需求，因为外国劳工会将钱汇往海外。

总统办公室还表示，他的讲话反映出有必要减少关键行业对低薪外国劳工的结构性依赖。

支持农业就业是一项合理的政策目标，要求报纸准确传达总统讲话也是如此。

然而，即使“很多”方面都得到了恢复，李的解释似乎也把移工的经济价值置于韩国工人之下，因为他们会向国外汇款。

这种说法忽略了他们通过收割庄稼、制造商品和建造船舶所创造的价值，无论他们将收入花在哪里。

将部分收入寄回海外的家人并不会抵消他们在韩国所做的劳动。这也不意味着外籍劳工在韩国就什么都不花。他们也会在食品、住房、交通和其他生活必需品上花钱。

在这种情况下，移民权利倡导者正是基于这些理由对李的言论提出质疑，指出工人在维持企业和农村经济方面发挥着重要作用。

批评总统的人士中包括进步的正义党，该党周三敦促总统先向外来务工人员道歉，然后再要求报纸道歉。

该党表示，工人不应该因为将辛辛苦苦挣来的工资寄给国外的家人而受到总统的斥责。

李的言论发表的时机尤其令人担忧。

就在前一天，韩国数据统计部的数据显示，韩国具有移民背景的人口连续两年增长，到 2025 年将达到创纪录的 281 万人，占所有居民的 5.4%。

在20多岁和30多岁的人群中，近十分之一的人有移民背景。

该人群的增长也抵消了非移民背景居民的减少，从而防止了总人口的萎缩。

这些数据涵盖的群体比外国劳工更广泛，包括入籍公民、第二代移民和朝鲜脱北者。

尽管如此，这些都表明，越来越多的韩国人拥有跨国背景，而韩国领导人需要一种能够反映这种不断变化的现实的思维方式。

总统的言论有助于塑造人们对待邻居和同事的方式。

当外国工人听到别人说他们“贡献不大”时，“贡献不大”和“完全没有贡献”之间的区别，并不能让他们感受到被韩国社会接纳。

随着韩国人口日益多元化，包容性不仅仅意味着在雇主需要时接受外国工人。