"Cabinet meeting remarks centered on lack of support for farm and fishing sectors, not foreign workers"

"Maternal health post raised question of reverse discrimination against citizens, not elimination of multicultural support"

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the second plenary session of the National Commission on Public Safety and Life at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at the second plenary session of the National Commission on Public Safety and Life at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

Cheong Wa Dae said Thursday that the core intent behind President Lee Jae Myung's recent Cabinet meeting remarks and a social media post on maternal health was to improve job quality in the agriculture and fishing sectors and address reverse discrimination against Korean citizens — not to exclude foreign workers or dismantle support for multicultural families — and asked the public to consider the full context of the statements.

Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung issued a notice that day explaining the background and intent behind Lee's Cabinet meeting remarks on labor and jobs and the social media post on maternal and child health support.

On the Cabinet meeting remarks, Kang said the key point was not foreign workers but rather the inadequacy of support for agricultural and fishing labor, adding that the focus was on creating quality, productive jobs in those sectors with guaranteed wage levels.

Regarding the social media post, Kang said the issue raised over maternal and child health support was not about eliminating assistance for multicultural families, but about examining whether any aspect of the current system amounted to reverse discrimination against Korean citizens.

Kang went on to say that since the two subjects represented distinct policy proposals, the public should consider the context and substance of the remarks rather than focusing on specific words.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com