ROK president vows for fostering social unity, harmony

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ROK president vows for fostering social unity, harmony

2026-01-03 16:31 Last Updated At：01-04 13:57

President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Jae Myung said that his administration has never wavered in its commitment to minimizing social divisions, eliminating hatred, and promoting social unity and harmony.

Lee made the remarks in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Seoul, capital of the ROK, ahead of his upcoming state visit to China.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lee will pay a state visit to China from Jan 4 to 7. It will be his first visit to China since he took office.

During the interview, Lee emphasized the essential role of his government in mediating conflicts among members of society.

"I believe the political landscape currently faced by the ROK is a phenomenon shared by many countries, including those in Europe. As I mentioned earlier, internal social conflicts are intensifying, confrontational sentiments continue to rise, and there is even a risk of these escalating into violent clashes. The very purpose of the state is to enable its citizens to lead better lives. Yet, the conflicts of interest often lead to confrontations, disputes, hatred and resentment among citizens. The core mission of politics is to resolve conflicts among members of society to the greatest extent possible, foster mutual recognition, promote coexistence through cooperation, and make everyone feel indispensable to one another. This is the duty of the state and the role that government and politics must fulfill," Lee said.

Regarding the economic challenges currently facing the ROK, Lee noted that the conflicts of interest highlighted by this context must be bridged by the government, adding that this is a governing philosophy he will uphold consistently.

"Like many other countries, the ROK is experiencing slowing economic growth and a shortage of development opportunities, which has led to increasingly prominent conflicts of interest. At times, politics has not alleviated these tensions but has instead exacerbated them to some extent. Therefore, I, along with the Democratic Party and the ROK government, see it as our duty to minimize social conflict, eliminate hatred and resentment, foster appropriate mutual recognition and reasonable compromise, and strive to build the country into a harmonious community where everyone coexists peacefully. This commitment has never wavered and will remain the mindset I uphold moving forward," he said.

US cannot legitimize operation against Venezuela: Chinese scholar

The United States cannot legitimize an operation that attacked Venezuela and captured its president, a Chinese scholar said Sunday.

On Saturday, the United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were 'captured and flown out of Venezuela' according to a post by U.S. President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account.

Teng Jianqun, director of the Center for Diplomatic Studies at Hunan Normal University, said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) that the aim of this operation is to take full control of Venezuela’s natural resources.

"I don't think the United States can legitimize this operation to take custody of the president of Venezuela. And also I don't think the United States can legitimize its any action in taking the oil reserves of that country. This is actually a very dangerous game played by the Trump administration. And of course, the United States would like to take full control of that country and to take full control of the natural resources, especially the large reserve of oil in Venezuela," said Teng.

Teng said Venezuela is not an isolated case but a common practice by the United States. The United States launched an invasion of Panama on Dec. 20, 1989, which continued until January 1990, with the stated objective of capturing Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega on charges of drug trafficking and organized crime.

"We still remember the so-called sentence of the former president of Panama in the late 1980s. And this time, the president of Venezuela will be under some judicial condition (judicial proceedings) for the so-called drug trafficking and some other crimes. So I think this is not a single case for the Venezuela country, but also this is actually a practice by the United States -- to use force, to use so-called justice under law against any leaders in Latin America and the Caribbean waters," he said.