Lee says focus on growth does not sideline welfare

President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday dismissed the argument that his government was prioritizing economic growth at the expense of welfare and efforts to ease inequality, saying South Korea first needs to expand the overall economic pie. Lee made the remarks on social media after sharing an editorial that criticized the government's 820.9 trillion won ($599 billion) budget proposal for 2027 for placing too much emphasis on growth and called for stronger measures to reduce economic polarization.