President Lee Jae Myung delivers a congratulatory address at a public briefing on the vision for advanced industry development in the Yeongnam region, held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. [Cheong Wa Dae press pool]
President Lee Jae Myung delivers a congratulatory address at a public briefing on the vision for advanced industry development in the Yeongnam region, held in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Thursday. [Cheong Wa Dae press pool]

President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday rebuffed opposition criticism of his administration's "three mega-projects," saying that if the initiatives had been a political tool to manage his approval rating, he would have launched them before the local elections.

Lee made the remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, writing that "the sweeping national land transformation — a heaven-and-earth-level change — is something I have dreamed of for a very long time, well before I took office."

Responding to the People Power Party's claim that political considerations, including approval ratings, had shaped the mega-project announcements, Lee said, "Approval ratings matter, but what matters more is the results and achievements that improve people's lives."

He went on to say that "an approval rating is like the wind — it comes and goes, strong at times and weak at others — but results and achievements are like a mountain and do not change easily," adding, "It has long been my belief that approval ratings naturally follow performance and results."

Lee said the mega-projects "will create new hope and a future for the people and for South Korea," and pledged to "do everything possible to restore hope, dreams and vitality to this generation's youth, who are losing opportunities and facing despair."


spa@heraldcorp.com