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President Lee Schedules Chaebol Summit to Boost Youth Employment and Regional Investment

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  • In this file photo, President Lee Jae Myung (C) attends a meeting with a group of business leaders at the presidential office in Seoul on June 13, 2025. Also at the meeting were LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (L), Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong (2nd from L), Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung (2nd from R) and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    In this file photo, President Lee Jae Myung (C) attends a meeting with a group of business leaders at the presidential office in Seoul on June 13, 2025. Also at the meeting were LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo (L), Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong (2nd from L), Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung (2nd from R) and Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with the heads of foreign-invested firms at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with the heads of foreign-invested firms at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at the Chinese Embassy in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • President Lee Jae Myung (L) attends a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    President Lee Jae Myung (L) attends a business roundtable meeting with foreign-invested companies at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size
  • President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with the heads of foreign-invested firms at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
    Image: Yonhap
    President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with the heads of foreign-invested firms at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) Source Full size

Lee Calls Chaebol Leaders to Address Youth Job Shortage President Lee Jae‑myung announced a Wednesday meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, inviting the heads of the ten largest Korean conglomerates, including Samsung’s Lee Jae‑yong, SK, Hyundai Motor Group, LG and Lotte, to discuss expanding jobs for young workers and directing capital to factories outside Seoul [1]. The presidential office framed the gathering as a direct response to rising youth unemployment and regional economic disparity [1]. Lee is expected to press firms to set concrete hiring targets and to allocate investment toward non‑capital‑region projects [1].

Government Pushes Foreign Investment Amid Record FDI At a Jan. 28 roundtable with seven foreign chambers of commerce, Lee highlighted that South Korea attracted a record $36 billion in foreign‑direct‑investment pledges in 2025, a 4.3 % rise year‑over‑year [3][4]. He described the Korean market as “still undervalued” despite strong human capital and infrastructure, arguing that these fundamentals offer upside potential for investors [3][4]. The administration pledged reforms to corporate governance and market transparency to boost investor confidence [3][4]. Lee also assured foreign firms that Seoul would avoid unnecessary military tension with the North to maintain a stable investment climate [3][4].

China Offers “Constructive Role” Supporting Seoul’s Peace Efforts Chinese Ambassador Dai Bing told Yonhap that Beijing will play a “constructive role in our way” to promote peninsula peace, praising Lee’s recent tension‑easing initiatives [2]. Dai reiterated China’s appreciation for Seoul’s engagement with North Korea and the United States, and announced the removal of a contested fixed platform in the Yellow Sea as a goodwill gesture [2]. He emphasized that security guarantees are essential to draw Pyongyang back to talks, linking stability to broader regional cooperation [2].

Lee Links Economic Growth to Regional Stability and Security Lee’s domestic agenda—pressuring chaebols to create youth jobs and invest regionally—mirrors his foreign‑investment outreach, both underscored by a commitment to avoid unnecessary military confrontation with North Korea [1][3][4]. By aligning corporate, investment, and security policies, the administration seeks to present South Korea as a stable, attractive hub for global capital while addressing domestic employment challenges [1][3][4].

Sources

Timeline

2016 – China imposes an unofficial ban on Korean cultural content after South Korea deploys the U.S. THAAD missile‑defence system, removing K‑pop concerts and dramas from Chinese platforms and closing Korean businesses, a de‑facto retaliation that later hampers cultural ties [11].

2017 – Beijing hosts the last South Korean state visit before Lee’s term, marking a six‑year hiatus in high‑level Seoul‑Beijing exchanges [18].

Aug 2025 – President Lee meets former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo, initiating a shuttle‑diplomacy pattern that later expands to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi [27].

Sept 2025 – Lee and Ishiba hold a follow‑up dialogue in Busan, reinforcing the emerging Korea‑Japan engagement despite lingering historical disputes [27].

Oct 30 2025 – Lee and Takaichi conduct a summit at the APEC forum in Gyeongju, discussing China, North Korea and a trilateral framework with the United States [27].

Nov 2025 – At the G20 summit in Johannesburg, Lee and Takaichi meet again, underscoring a forward‑looking partnership amid rising China‑Japan tensions over Taiwan [26].

Dec 2 2025 – Lee announces a phased plan to achieve a nuclear‑free Korean Peninsula, targeting formal negotiations within six months and a denuclearization agreement by 2030 [30].

Dec 2 2025 – Lee proposes reopening the inter‑Korean hotline and other diplomatic channels to lower tensions and enable dialogue [29].

Dec 3 2025 – Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stresses that deterrence must be paired with diplomacy, calling for U.S.–South Korea‑Japan cooperation to manage North Korean threats [28].

Dec 4 2025 – Seoul and Tokyo negotiate a January summit in Nara, planning Lee’s second Japan visit to deepen ties while acknowledging wartime history issues [27].

Dec 17 2025 – South Korea and the United States hold a new North‑Korea talks format, emphasizing implementation of a joint fact sheet and distancing from the 2017‑19 “working group” [25].

Dec 18 2025 – Lee urges officials to take pre‑emptive steps to ease hostilities with North Korea, citing new triple‑barbed‑wire barriers along the Demarcation Line [24].

Dec 22 2025 – A business delegation led by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae‑won prepares a China trip early next year, coordinating with Samsung, Hyundai and LG executives ahead of Lee’s summit with Xi [23].

Dec 26 2025 – National Security Adviser Wi Sung‑lac delivers President Lee’s letter to UN Secretary‑General Guterres, requesting a UN visit to North Korea to help open dialogue [22].

Dec 30 2025 – Lee announces a four‑day China state visit (Jan 4‑7 2026) to meet Xi, with stops in Beijing and Shanghai and a schedule of MOUs on supply chains and the digital economy [21][20].

Dec 31 2025 – Lee pledges to act as a “pacemaker” for potential North Korea‑U.S. talks in 2026, promising active coordination to move negotiations forward [19].

Jan 2 2026 – Lee reaffirms South Korea’s one‑China policy in a CCTV interview, emphasizing regional stability while Beijing conducts Taiwan‑related drills [18].

Jan 4‑7 2026 – Lee conducts his first China state visit since taking office, meeting Xi in Beijing, attending a business forum with Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG leaders, and traveling to Shanghai for historic site visits [5][21].

Jan 5 2026 – Lee joins a high‑level business forum in Beijing, where Samsung, Hyundai, SK, LG and cultural CEOs discuss cooperation in semiconductors, batteries and entertainment [17].

Jan 5 2026 – Lee and Xi agree to hold annual summit meetings and expand defense‑minister communication channels, institutionalizing regular security dialogue [16].

Jan 5‑6 2026 – Lee meets Premier Li Qiang and parliamentary chairman Zhao Leji, signing 14 MOUs on technology, trade and the environment while stressing North Korea talks and Yellow Sea boundary talks [15].

Jan 6 2026 – Lee tells Xi the visit marks “an important turning point” for full restoration of Korea‑China relations, seeks a new phase of cooperation, and raises the lingering cultural‑content ban, which Xi likens to “thick ice that thaws slowly” [1][14].

Jan 7 2026 – Lee asks Xi to mediate the North Korean nuclear crisis, noting that all inter‑Korean channels are “completely blocked” and urging Beijing to use its leverage over Pyongyang [4][13].

Jan 7 2026 – Xi uses an “ice and fruit” metaphor, signaling that any rollback of the cultural ban will be gradual rather than immediate [11].

Jan 7 2026 – Lee proposes a phased denuclearization approach—freezing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs first, then trading incremental steps for benefits—and reports that Chinese officials share this view [4].

Jan 7 2026 – South Korean ambassador Lee Hyuk describes the planned Nara summit with Takaichi as a “catalyst” that could meaningfully advance bilateral ties [12].

Jan 7 2026 – Lee emphasizes three‑way cooperation among South Korea, Japan and China as essential for regional stability [9].

Jan 12 2026 – Prime Minister Takaichi hosts Lee in Nara for their first full summit, focusing on trade, security and trilateral coordination amid China‑Japan rivalry [3].

Jan 12 2026 – Lee departs for the Nara summit, expecting to discuss abductee issues, Fukushima‑related seafood bans and the CPTPP accession bid [10].

Jan 13 2026 – At the Nara summit, Lee and Takaichi agree to deepen cooperation on North Korea’s denuclearization, expand economic ties, secure supply chains and launch a joint DNA‑analysis project for the Chōsei mine remains [2][7].

Jan 13 2026 – Lee urges three‑way cooperation with Tokyo and Beijing, framing it as vital for addressing shared security challenges [9].

Jan 13 2026 – Lee tells Takaichi that Seoul‑Tokyo cooperation is “more important than ever,” while noting recent North Korean drone incursions as a security concern [8].

Jan 14 2026 – The second Seoul‑Tokyo summit in Nara deepens security and economic ties, adopts a humanitarian DNA‑analysis effort for the 1942 Chōsei mine victims, and pledges continued working‑level talks despite historical disputes [7].

Jan 21 2026 – Lee pledges a renewed diplomatic push to restart North Korea‑U.S. talks and to pave the way for inter‑Korean dialogue, signaling a proactive role in regional peace efforts [6].

2026 (ongoing) – Lee and Xi schedule regular annual meetings and expanded defense communication, laying groundwork for future trilateral initiatives with Japan and the United States [16].

2026 (late 2026) – Lee plans to seek CPTPP accession, contingent on Japan lifting the Fukushima seafood import ban, a key agenda item in his Nara talks with Takaichi [2].

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