What has Lee Jae Myung said about South Korea joining the CPTPP?

Lee has called South Korea’s entry into the CPTPP unavoidable, but said the government should reflect farmers’ views and seek complementary measures. He has also ordered officials not to apply for membership this year while consultations continue.

Why are farmers and fishermen concerned about South Korea joining the CPTPP?

They oppose joining because opening the market could bring in cheaper agricultural and fishery products and hurt their sectors. The article says the agricultural and fisheries industries are likely to take a hit even as membership is expected to boost overall exports.

What measures did Lee Jae Myung pledge to support farmers?

Lee cited efforts to stabilize agricultural produce prices and farm household incomes, and pledged to ensure farmers receive fair income commensurate with their labor. He also described agriculture as the foundation of food security and a national strategic field.

Lee vows to reflect farmers' voices in decision on CPTPP membership

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Summary

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday in a post on X that the government would reflect farmers’ views when deciding whether South Korea should join the CPTPP. He has ordered the government not to apply for membership this year while it consults farmers and fishermen who oppose joining. Lee said agriculture is essential to food security and South Korea’s future, and pledged efforts to stabilize produce prices and farm household incomes.

Key Facts

Lee made the post on the 31st Day of Farmers and included farmland reform among the issues on which the government should heed views from the agricultural field.
Lee has previously described South Korea’s CPTPP entry as unavoidable while pledging to seek complementary measures.
The article says CPTPP membership is expected to boost South Korea’s overall exports, while market opening could hurt agriculture and fisheries through imports of cheaper products.
Lee said farmers should receive fair incomes commensurate with their labor.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 11, 2026 12:06 pm KST

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Wednesday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday vowed to accommodate farmers' opinions in deciding whether to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The president made the remarks in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on the 31st Day of Farmers, reiterating his pledge to take farmers' interests into account when deciding to join the Indo-Pacific trade bloc.

"On important issues, including farmland reform ... and the CPTPP, the government will work toward faithfully reflecting voices from the (agricultural) field so as to be helpful to farmers," Lee wrote in the post.

The president has previously said that Korea's entry into the CPTPP would be "unavoidable," but has pledged to focus on finding complementary measures to implement when seeking CPTPP membership.

While CPTPP membership is expected to help boost Korea's overall exports, the agricultural and fisheries sectors are likely to take a hit from market opening due to imports of cheaper products.

Lee has ordered the government not to apply for CPTPP membership this year, expressing the need for sufficient consultations with farmers and fishermen who oppose Korea's entry into the trade bloc.

"A country that looks down on agriculture is unlikely to prosper," he said, calling the sector the foundation for "food security" and a national strategic field. "Safeguarding the root of agriculture, a future life industry, is tantamount to protecting South Korea's future."

The president also stressed the government's efforts to protect the agricultural industry, including stabilizing agricultural produce prices and farm household incomes, vowing to ensure that farmers earn a fair income commensurate with their labor.

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