SEOUL, October 31 (AJP) - President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday fired back at opposition criticism over his frequent overseas trips, arguing that presidential visits abroad involve demanding schedules and should be judged by their diplomatic outcomes rather than their frequency.
Lee addressed the controversy on X, sharing a supporter's post questioning whether presidential overseas trips should be regarded as sightseeing.
He argued that critics who associate presidential travel with photography, drinking, shopping and leisure might fail to recognize the intensive preparations and official engagements involved in summit diplomacy.
The president described overseas trips as involving long flights, tightly packed schedules without even half a day free and workloads severe enough to require intravenous drips and cause nosebleeds.
"A Buddha sees only Buddhas, and a pig sees only pigs," Lee wrote, invoking a Korean proverb to suggest that people's perceptions are shaped by their own experiences and understanding.
He also said journalists accompanying presidential delegations would be better positioned to compare the schedules, workloads and diplomatic achievements of incumbent and former presidents.
The dispute arose during a National Assembly Steering Committee audit on Thursday, when Rep. Kim Seung-soo of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) questioned the president's overseas travel record.
Kim said Lee had undertaken 14 overseas trips covering 23 countries since taking office in June 2025. He also criticized first lady Kim Hea Kyung for frequently accompanying the president on official visits.
The criticism has renewed debate over how much time South Korean presidents spend abroad and whether the frequency of their diplomatic travel is justified by its results.
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac defended the administration's overseas travel schedule during a briefing on Friday, saying South Korea's growing international standing required its president to participate in numerous multilateral diplomatic engagements.
Wi cited international gatherings such as the Group of Seven (G7), Group of 20 (G20), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and United Nations General Assembly, alongside requests for bilateral visits from other countries.
He also dismissed criticism of the first lady's participation, explaining that accompanying the president on overseas diplomatic visits was a longstanding practice that would continue regardless of which administration held power.
An analysis released on Oct. 1 by another PPP lawmaker, Rep. Lee Jin-sook, provides a comparison with previous administrations over an identical period.
President Lee made 14 overseas trips during his first 484 days in office, spending a total of 80 days abroad, according to the lawmaker.
Over the same number of days following their inaugurations, former President Yoon Suk Yeol made approximately 11 overseas trips and spent 57 days abroad, while former President Moon Jae-in made approximately nine trips and spent 52 days overseas.
The analysis found that Lee departed for an overseas trip approximately once every 35 days, compared with once every 44 days under Yoon and once every 54 days under Moon.
Counting repeated visits to individual countries, Lee recorded 29 country visits during the period, compared with 18 under Yoon and 15 under Moon, according to the opposition lawmaker's calculations.
The figures indicate a higher frequency of overseas travel under the current administration during the comparable period, although the number of trips and days spent abroad does not, by itself, establish their diplomatic effectiveness.
Lee previously defended his diplomatic travel schedule during a visit to France in September, saying he had deliberately arranged numerous overseas engagements early in his presidency to maximize their longer-term benefits within South Korea's constitutionally limited presidential term.
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