South Korean President Lee Jae-myung marked his first 100 days in office on September 11, 2025, with a press conference at the historic Blue House, addressing a nation still reeling from political turmoil and a recent diplomatic crisis with the United States. Lee’s address, attended by more than 150 journalists from around the world, was as much a reflection on his administration’s early achievements as it was a candid reckoning with the daunting challenges facing South Korea at home and abroad.
Lee, who took office on June 4, 2025, after a turbulent transition triggered by former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law the previous December, began by vowing to be "the president for all South Koreans," according to The Korea Herald. He acknowledged the deep divisions left by Yoon’s controversial actions, including an alleged self-coup attempt and efforts to suppress investigations into a marine’s death and other scandals. Lee’s Democratic Party responded swiftly, pushing for special counsel bills and prosecutorial reforms that aim to separate the investigative and prosecutorial powers that have long been concentrated in the hands of the prosecution office. The party has pledged to accomplish these reforms before the Chuseok holidays in October.
Despite the lack of a traditional transition period, Lee touted several early achievements, most notably the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) reaching record highs. He emphasized his government’s commitment to building a "solid society for the lives of the people," and expressed confidence in overcoming South Korea’s sluggish consumption. “With the great people of South Korea, [I am] confident that we can overcome any difficulties,” Lee declared, echoing a sentiment of national resilience.
But the celebratory tone was quickly tempered by the fallout from a dramatic U.S. immigration raid just days earlier. On September 4, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained more than 300 South Korean workers at the Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant construction site in Georgia. The workers, most of whom had entered the U.S. on B-1 business visas or visa waivers for temporary assignments, were seen in handcuffs and shackles—a sight that sparked outrage across South Korea and drew comparisons in the local press to a "rabbit hunt." According to Associated Press, the group included 316 Koreans, 10 Chinese, three Japanese, and one Indonesian national.
Lee addressed the incident head-on, revealing that the White House had paused the release of the detainees amid negotiations over whether they should remain handcuffed while being transported to the airport. There were also disagreements over whether the workers would leave "of their free will" or be deported. Ultimately, Lee confirmed that 316 South Koreans and 14 non-Koreans were to be released from detention on September 11 and would return home on September 12.
The president expressed concern that the raid could have a "considerable impact" on South Korean investment in the U.S., warning that companies might hesitate to build new plants if visa uncertainties and the threat of aggressive enforcement persisted. “South Korean firms doing business in the US must be left baffled now,” Lee said, according to The Korea Herald. “If that’s impossible, South Korean companies will ask themselves whether they should continue building plants in the US while fearing (possible) disadvantages and challenges.”
Lee called for a fundamental overhaul of the U.S. visa system, urging Washington to expand quotas for temporary workers and ease the complexities that currently force companies to rely on short-term visitor visas for essential technical staff. “It’s not like these are long-term workers. When you build a factory or install equipment at a factory, you need technicians, but the United States doesn’t have that workforce and yet they won’t issue visas to let our people stay and do the work,” Lee explained, as reported by AP. He added that unless the U.S. addresses these problems, "establishing a local factory in the United States will either come with severe disadvantages or become very difficult for our companies. They will wonder whether they should even do it."
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun announced that Seoul and Washington had agreed to set up a working group to explore a new visa type for South Korean workers, aiming to prevent similar incidents in the future. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his deputy, Christopher Landau, were reportedly involved in these discussions, with Landau scheduled to visit Seoul as part of a broader Asia-Pacific tour.
Lee also pointed to "cultural differences" in how the two countries handle visa and employment issues, noting that Americans sometimes teach English in South Korea on tourist visas—a practice that, while illegal, typically results in fines or exit orders rather than aggressive detention. “In South Korea, we see Americans coming on tourist visas to teach English at private cram schools — they do it all the time, and we don’t think much of it, it’s just something you accept,” Lee observed. “But the United States clearly doesn’t see things that way. On top of that, U.S. immigration authorities pledge to strictly forbid illegal immigration and employment and carry out deportations in various aggressive ways, and our people happened to be caught in one of those cases.”
The timing of the raid was especially sensitive, coming less than two weeks after a summit between Lee and U.S. President Donald Trump, and shortly after a July trade deal in which South Korea pledged $350 billion in new U.S. investments in exchange for a reduction in tariffs from 25% to 15%. Lee was adamant that follow-up steps would not include "any decision deemed unreasonable, unfair or against South Korean national interests," and denied making any "under-the-table deals."
On inter-Korean relations, Lee reiterated his commitment to defusing tensions on the peninsula, even as Pyongyang dismissed the possibility of renewed dialogue, citing no difference between Lee’s administration and that of the hawkish Yoon. Lee acknowledged that South Korea’s role is limited, given that the United States remains North Korea’s primary interlocutor. “I don't think we should take the lead in undertaking (the peace process on the Korean Peninsula) or insist that the process must be within our own boundary,” Lee said, stressing instead the importance of restoring U.S.-North Korea ties. He described himself as a "pacemaker" for President Trump, whom he credited with a unique ability to "secure the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula ... and excel in his role as a peacemaker."
Lee also touched on relations with Japan, expressing willingness to cooperate with Tokyo’s next prime minister while insisting that historical and territorial disputes must not be ignored. Domestically, he defended the constitutionality of establishing a special tribunal to handle crimes related to the December 2024 martial law, and showed openness to revising a controversial securities tax proposal.
As Lee’s first 100 days draw to a close, his administration stands at a crossroads—balancing ambitious reforms and economic gains with the unpredictable headwinds of international diplomacy and domestic division. His next moves will be closely watched not just in Seoul, but in Washington and beyond.
