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President Lee criticizes 'submissive mindset' of people who believe Korea needs foreign troops

Published: 21 Sep. 2025, 19:20

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a youth forum held in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Sept. 19. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung sparked controversy Sunday, a day before departing for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, by criticizing on Facebook people who believe self-reliant defense is impossible without U.S. troops, calling it a "submissive mindset."

Lee shared a news article highlighting the military manpower shortage stemming from low birthrates, titling his post “Opening the path to strong self-reliant defense.”

“Wars determined by the number of standing troops are a thing of the past," wrote Lee. "We must build comprehensive national strength, including economic and cultural power, expand the defense budget, restructure into a high-morale, smart and strong military, nurture the defense industry, and strengthen security diplomacy to secure multilateral security cooperation. This is how we will become a nation that will never again be invaded and will not have to depend on others.”

He continued that “Korea’s annual defense budget is about 1.4 times North Korea’s entire GDP. Our military ranks fifth globally. Our economy is dozens of times larger than the North’s, and our population is more than twice as large. Yet despite such military, defense and national strength, some still hold the submissive mindset that self-reliant defense is impossible without foreign troops.”

The language, including the reference to a “submissive mindset,” drew attention because it came at a time when Seoul and Washington are conducting parallel negotiations on security and trade.

President Lee Jae Myung uploads a post titled “Opening the path to strong self-reliant defense″ on Sept. 21 on his Facebook account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

“Our armed forces, as the president said, overwhelmingly surpass North Korea’s in almost every respect," said Rep. Sung Il-jong of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee, countering Lee’s comments on Facebook. "But North Korea has nuclear weapons, an asymmetrical capability that changes everything. Can we deter the North’s nuclear weapons without the Korea-U.S. alliance?”

Sung continued, “What use are economic power and superior conventional weapons in the face of nuclear arms? The phrase ‘self-reliant defense’ may sound good, but it is emotional and insensitive to the reality that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons. It is difficult to accept today’s statement as the view of a commander in chief. Korea’s prosperity has been built on the Korea-U.S. alliance, and it must remain centered on that alliance in the future.”

A presidential office official defended Lee’s post, saying, “This reflects President Lee’s long-held view on self-reliant defense. It was not aimed at any particular country, but rather meant that the military should be restructured smartly.”

Lee has made similar remarks before. As a first-term lawmaker in August 2022, he pressed then-Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup during a National Assembly defense committee briefing, asking, “Do you still believe that without U.S. forces we would be defeated by North Korea’s military?” When the minister replied, “If you include nuclear weapons, it must be taken seriously,” Lee countered, “Nuclear weapons must be excluded. Are you saying conventional equipment must be increased to match nuclear weapons? Korea’s combat readiness is already sufficient to handle the North. Self-reliant defense is possible without relying on foreign troops.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]