President Lee Continues to "Embrace the Left" ... Says Hormuz Deployment Is "A Very Painful Dilemma"

At Last Month's Dinner with New Democratic Leadership, Lee Says, "We Must Embrace the Left More"

Mid-level Cabinet and Blue House Reshuffle Sees Yong Hyein and Lee Haemin Tapped

Series of Engagements with Major Labor Unions and Civil Society

President Lee Jae-myung's attention has recently shifted noticeably towards the "left." Following his decision to appoint figures from the broader pro-government camp to key positions in the Cabinet and the Blue House, he has continued to expand his outreach by inviting labor and civil society organizations to the Blue House. This represents a departure from the unity and pragmatism he has emphasized since his inauguration, which sought to extend his support base to moderates and conservatives. Some interpret these moves as stemming from a sense of urgency to shore up his traditional support base after his approval ratings fell to their lowest level since taking office.

President Lee Jae-myung is delivering a greeting speech at the Civil Society Invitation Meeting held at the Blue House on September 4, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

This attempt at change first surfaced during a dinner meeting held with the new leadership of the Democratic Party on August 25. At that time, President Lee reportedly remarked, "We have neglected the left for too long," and added, "We need to embrace the left more fully." Just five days later, this recognition of the problem was reflected in a partial reshuffle of the Cabinet and appointments at the Blue House. He nominated Yong Hyein, floor leader of the Basic Income Party, as Minister of Gender Equality and Family, and selected Haemin Lee, of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, as Chief AI Future Planning Officer. Kim Kyungsoo, the former Governor of South Gyeongsang Province and a figure symbolically known as a "Moon Jae-in loyalist," was also called back as Special Political Advisor to the President. Effectively, this broadened the pool of personnel beyond the Democratic Party to include the wider pro-government and progressive fields.

Following these appointments, changes were also detected in the president's official schedule. On September 3, President Lee invited Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Yang Kyungsoo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to the Blue House. At this meeting, all parties reached a consensus on resolving labor issues in the Mega Special Zone Act through a social dialogue involving labor and management, as well as the need to derive results on retirement age extension through parliamentary deliberations within the year. President Lee, in particular, directly welcomed the fact that discussions on returning to social dialogue had begun within the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

One day later, on September 4, he invited more than 20 civil society representatives to the Blue House. The meeting included organizations from the human rights, labor, women's, and peace sectors, such as Lawyers for a Democratic Society, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, Korean Peasants League, Korean Women's Associations United, Solidarity for Independence and Peace, and the Institute for Korean Historical Studies. Unlike typical meetings with organization leaders, this forum was composed primarily of field-level managers and lasted well beyond its scheduled time, running for three and a half hours.

During the discussion, President Lee stated, "The world you wish to see and the world I aspire to create are not much different," and added, "While there may be slight differences in the path and approach towards reaching our goal, these differences are not significant." He emphasized, "Civil society has a significant role to play in the major social reforms we must carry out in the future."

In particular, the free discussion that day reportedly included the issue of dispatching troops to the Strait of Hormuz. When representatives from peace and civic organizations expressed concerns about the deployment, President Lee reportedly commented, "I find this deeply troubling." By doing so, he indirectly conveyed his own reflections and difficulties regarding the issue of troop deployment while carefully listening to civil society's concerns.

The government has been discussing international cooperation with the United States, United Kingdom, France, and other countries to ensure free passage in the Strait of Hormuz. It is currently reviewing various forms of military contributions, including both combat and non-combat options. A senior Blue House official told reporters on this day, "Ensuring free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is extremely important for our national interest," and explained that with respect to the deployment issue, "We are considering options within the scope that would not cause significant harm to our preparedness for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula."

President Lee Jae-myung is having a conversation on the 3rd at the Blue House with Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Yang Kyungsoo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. President Lee and the two union leaders discussed issues such as the 'Three Major Mega Projects' and the extension of retirement age. From President Lee, clockwise: Yang Kyungsoo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Kang Hunsik, Chief Secretary; Kang Yujeong, Senior Spokesperson; Kim Kyungja, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs; Kim Younghoon, Minister of Labor; Kim Dongmyung, Chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions. September 3, 2026 Yonhap News Agency.

There are observations that President Lee's move to broaden his outreach to the progressive bloc is not unrelated to his declining approval ratings. According to a survey of 1,001 people aged 18 or older nationwide conducted by Gallup Korea from September 1 to 3 and published on the 4th, President Lee's positive job performance rating fell by 2 percentage points from the previous week to 40%. This is the lowest figure since his inauguration. The negative response rate hit a new high at 51%.

What is especially painful is the erosion of his core support base. In this survey, the positive rating among progressives was 66%, in the Gwangju and Jeolla regions 67%, and among people in their 40s 55%. Compared to Gallup's mid-May survey, where positive ratings were 91% among progressives, 89% in Gwangju and Jeolla, and 73% among those in their 40s, the drop is considerable. The overall positive rating at the time was 64%, which, in a little over three months, has plummeted to 40%. These figures point to an urgent need to shore up existing supporters before focusing on expanding to the center.

Hae-Min Lee, Chief of AI Future Planning (right), and Won-Joo Lee, National Strategic Investment Advisor, are attending the Senior Presidential Secretaries Meeting held at the Blue House on the 3rd, reviewing materials. September 3, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

The fact that the "politics of inclusion" President Lee has strived for since his inauguration has not proceeded as smoothly as hoped is also tied to his recent steps. While he continued to make cross-faction appointments—retaining Song Mireong, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from the Yoon Suk Yeol administration, appointing Lee Sukyeon, who served as head of the Korea Legislation Research Institute in the Lee Myung Bak administration, as chairman of the National Integration Committee, and bringing in Lee Byungtae, an emeritus professor at KAIST with conservative views, as Vice Chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee—these moves were met with considerable controversy. Lee Byungtae eventually stepped down following disputes over his comments regarding the "sanctification of May 18," and Lee Sukyeon was unable to serve out his term after making repeated criticisms of government and ruling party policy and calling on President Lee to leave the Democratic Party. Even the confirmation of former People Power Party lawmaker In Yo-han as president of the Korean Red Cross prompted backlash from the pro-government camp and civil society.

It remains to be seen whether the appointments seemingly designed to embrace the progressive camp will have their intended effect. This is because various allegations have been raised against candidate Yong Hyein, resulting in criticism from both progressive parties like the Justice Party, as well as women's organizations. While the Blue House has stated that it is important to hear candidate Yong's position in the personnel hearing and has distanced itself from the possibility of withdrawing the nomination, the burden appears to be growing.

Going forward, President Lee is tasked not only with regaining support from his weakened progressive and reformist base, but also with continuing his strategy of expanding to moderates and promoting national integration. Some observers interpret his recent "embracing the left" actions as efforts to consolidate a shaken support base, rather than a complete shift to the left. A senior pro-government official commented, "The real test of governance in the second year of President Lee's administration will be finding a balance between embracing his core supporters and holding on to moderates who were difficult to win over in the first place."

(※ The first-week-of-September Gallup Korea poll was conducted via telephone interviews using randomly generated mobile phone numbers. The margin of sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 10.9%. For more detailed information, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.)

On the 21st, Lee Sukyeon, Chairman of the National Integration Committee, delivered the opening remarks at the 2026 Generation Field-Type National Dialogue Gyeongsang Region Forum held at the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center in Dong-gu, Busan. July 21, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.