Lee questions multicultural benefits: Centrist outreach or political misstep?

President Lee Jae Myung’s repeated questioning of benefits for multicultural families has raised a question beyond policy fairness: Is he trying to broaden his appeal by challenging his own liberal base?

Political analysts and other experts contacted by The Korea Times offered differing interpretations. Some viewed his remarks at official meetings and on social media as a deliberate effort to reclaim the political center. Others were less certain there was any coherent strategy.

In the latest such remarks at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee said the government had a duty to support socially and economically disadvantaged people, but stressed that such assistance must also reflect the principles of fairness and reasonableness.

“Even benefits that seem small or trivial can undermine public trust in the system if they continue without a reasonable basis,” he said. “This could not only undermine the foundations of sustainable policy but also give those seeking to incite hatred against vulnerable people a pretext for doing so.”

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon interpreted the remarks as a strategic effort to shift the political battleground.

He argued that disputes over prosecution reform had put the president in an uncomfortable position against hard-liners within the broader liberal camp. Raising fairness concerns about multicultural benefits allows the president to confront those critics on an issue potentially more appealing to voters outside that camp.

“I think the strategy is to raise his approval rating,” the commentator told The Korea Times, adding that winning back pragmatically minded voters who had previously supported him could matter more than satisfying a relatively small group of vocal liberal hard-liners.

Hong Hyeong-sik, another political commentator, also believes that Lee’s fairness comments have a potential incentive to expand support, particularly among voters in their 20s and 30s. But he questioned whether the remarks were part of a deliberate strategy.

“Rather than a carefully calculated political move, I think this may reflect a psychological defense mechanism — a reluctance to back down when he is already on the defensive within the liberal camp,” Hong said.

Lee’s approval rating rose 1.6 percentage points from the previous week to 36.9 percent, according to a poll released on Monday by Realmeter. Yet it remains unclear whether his remarks on multicultural benefits contributed to the increase. The pollster attributed the rise to improving economic indicators and announced plans to expand housing supply in the greater Seoul area.

Even if Lee’s stance helps broaden his appeal, the gains are unlikely to be substantial, according to Kim Sung-joo, an emeritus professor at Sungkyunkwan University.

“I don’t think there will be a major gain,” Kim said, cautioning against attributing changes in public support to a single issue. He also warned that repeatedly revisiting the dispute could provoke a backlash.

Shin Yul, a professor at Myongji University, was more skeptical about the electoral logic.

He stressed that multicultural families should not be conflated with foreign workers, noting that many members of such families are Korean citizens who may face disadvantages.

Even if some conservative and moderate voters welcomed Lee’s remarks, Shin questioned whether enough would become supporters to offset potential losses among his liberal base. He also challenged the assumption that cutting benefits for others would win over younger voters without tangibly improving their own circumstances.

“It still puzzles me. I don’t understand why he said it,” Shin said.

Kim Joon-sik, a rights advocate who promotes migrant rights, said framing multicultural families as excessively favored could reinforce prejudice against them.

Although he said he did not believe Lee was deliberately exploiting the issue for political gain, he warned that the message conflicted with the liberal bloc’s commitment to human rights and protecting disadvantaged groups.

On Tuesday, 114 migrant labor and human rights groups held a press conference outside Cheong Wa Dae, calling on the president to publicly apologize for his remarks, which they described as “hateful and discriminatory.”

The poll, conducted on 2,515 adults nationwide from Oct. 26 to 30 by Realmeter, had a margin of error of 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. For more details, visit the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.