Lee, opposition clash over tourism budget

President Lee Jae-myung called for “fact-checking” during a rare meeting between the government and opposition on April 7, urging participants to verify basic facts before escalating political disputes.

In opening remarks at the trilateral talks, held seven months behind schedule, Lee said even closed-door discussions should allow for sharper debate, but stressed that objective facts must be confirmed before arguments proceed. His comments set a tense tone for a meeting intended to ease political friction.

The exchange was triggered by criticism from Jang Dong-hyuk, floor leader of the People Power Party, who questioned parts of a 26.2 trillion won supplementary budget aimed at addressing the economic fallout from conflict in the Middle East. Jang cited what he described as inappropriate spending, including 30.6 billion won allocated to programs to attract Chinese tourists, such as a 500 million won initiative to promote a luggage-handling service for visitors.

The issue quickly became a flashpoint in the meeting, which had been convened to discuss economic measures tied to the conflict.

Lee pushed back, saying, “What do you mean, Chinese?” and adding that he was not familiar with the details and questioned whether the claim was accurate. Chung Cheong-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, suggested that assisting tourists with luggage could encourage spending, but the debate continued to center on the specifics of the budget item.

As Jang reiterated that the program appeared to be limited to Chinese nationals, Lee said that if that were the case, the item should be cut, adding that he did not believe such a design would be appropriate and that the facts needed to be checked.

Such meetings are typically framed around “frank and open” dialogue aimed at building consensus. A push to verify factual claims in real time is unusual in a setting meant to emphasize cooperation.

Still, the exchange exposed differences in perspective between the government and the opposition. Since Lee took office, South Korea has worked to repair strained relations with Beijing that deteriorated under the previous administration. A widely circulated image of Lee taking a selfie with Chinese President Xi Jinping using a Xiaomi smartphone has been seen as symbolic of efforts to improve ties.

From the government’s perspective, attracting Chinese tourists, especially amid strained relations between China and Japan, is viewed as a practical economic strategy. The opposition, however, raised concerns about fairness among foreign visitors and whether the spending aligned with the core purpose of a wartime economic support package.

The disagreement ultimately led to a revision. The ruling and opposition parties agreed to adjust the program so that support for the luggage-handling service would no longer be limited to Chinese tourists, producing an unexpected compromise from what began as a procedural dispute.

Despite the agreement, tensions remained after the meeting. Lee said constitutional reform would be impossible without cooperation from the People Power Party. Jang responded by urging Lee to first declare that he would not seek a second term or consecutive presidency before constitutional talks could proceed.

The meeting, intended to reduce political tensions, instead highlighted the distance between the two sides. Still, it produced a rare policy adjustment driven by what Lee described as fact-based verification.


Hoon-Sang Park tigermask@donga.com