President Lee Jae-myung returned to Korea through Seoul Airport on the afternoon of the 27th after completing a 5-night, 7-day visit to the United States and Mexico.
On this day, the Democratic Party of Korea leader Kim Min-seok and floor leader Han Byeong-do, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo from the Blue House, and Minister of Public Administration and Security Yoon Ho-jung came out to greet President Lee at the airport.
Minister Yoon told President Lee, “Thank you for your hard work,” and Representative Kim laughed out loud while talking with President Lee.
President Lee was seen stroking his back and saying, "My back hurts," while shaking hands with welcome guests, possibly as a result of a long flight.
Previously, during his visit to the United States, President Lee delivered a keynote speech at the United Nations General Assembly and held a summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, and in Mexico, he held a summit meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum to discuss ways to cooperate between the two countries.
After returning to Korea, President Lee is expected to receive reports from his advisors on the mountain of major domestic and international issues and work hard to come up with solutions.
First of all, ahead of the launch of the Serious Crimes Investigation Office on the 2nd of next month, the appointment of Commissioner Kim Ji-yong is considered one of the most pressing tasks.
Although there are voices opposing it from some quarters in the ruling party, it is known that the current policy is to make the appointment.
In line with the reform of the criminal system, including the launch of the Central Investigation Agency, President Lee is expected to speed up the formation of the 'Insurrection Case Special Investigation Headquarters'.
As the opposition is voicing strong opposition to the launch of the special headquarters, this movement may emerge as a new political issue.
There is likely to be deep concern about whether to accept the resignation of Blue House Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and the reorganization of the Blue House staff, including the successor to the resigned Chief of Staff Kim Yong-beom.
Among the six nominees for the August 30 cabinet reshuffle, the key is to resolve the impact of the 'personnel failure' that arose when Yong Hye-in (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family) and Kim Seung-won (Ministry of Justice) were repeatedly rejected and come up with a reform plan.
It is also a task to quickly find and appoint a new suitable person to the currently vacant position of Minister of Justice.
It is also troubling that while President Lee was on a tour, Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae of the Supreme Court announced his rejection of President Lee's request to re-nominate his Supreme Court nominee. While tensions between the Blue House and the judiciary over the issue of re-nomination of Supreme Court justice candidates have reached their peak, the confrontation front has expanded into a battle between the ruling party and the opposition party.
It is also worth noting that the opposition party's offensive against the suspected mine explosion that recently occurred in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is intensifying. The conservative opposition party claims that the government is delaying the investigation out of concern for North Korea.
In addition to seeking a rebound in approval ratings, the government is also looking for a solution to the divisions across the ruling party.
Pan-government commentator Yoo Si-min criticized President Lee's remarks on prosecutorial reform, saying he "deceived the people," and President Lee made critical remarks targeting writer Yoo at a meeting with Mexican compatriots. This is why interest is also focused on President Lee's response to writer Yoo and his actions to embrace the ruling party.
Follow-up measures on the issue of repatriation of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are also matters that require review.
The request for US military intervention in the Strait of Hormuz is also a difficult problem.
The Blue House announced that it is reviewing ways to contribute to freedom of navigation in the strait in accordance with President Lee's principle of 'non-intervention in war', but the decision of the government and President Lee is attracting attention as there is a need to expand cooperation with the United States in the security and shipbuilding fields in the future.
