Lee is expected to review a range of pressing domestic and external issues, including tariff negotiations with the United States, efforts to stabilize the real estate market, and administrative integration, while refining his policy direction for the second year of his term.
According to the presidential office, Lee will not travel to his hometown of Andong in North Gyeongsang Province or to the presidential retreat on Geoje Island during the holiday period. Instead, he is expected to spend time primarily with family at the residence.
During last year’s Chuseok holiday in October, Lee attended an event for displaced Koreans and visited a child welfare facility and a traditional market. He also paid respects at his family graves in Bonghwa and Andong in North Gyeongsang Province.
Lee’s increased activity on social media in recent weeks is expected to continue over the holiday. On the eve of the holiday, he posted consecutive messages addressing real estate issues, effectively setting market normalization as a key topic for the festive period. On Friday, Lee uploaded two posts suggesting the need for tighter lending regulations on multiple-home owners.
Delays in the National Assembly’s legislative process and escalating tensions between the ruling and opposition parties remain among Lee’s concerns. A planned luncheon with party leaders ahead of the holiday was canceled on Thursday, adding to the political deadlock.
The impasse has raised concerns that parliamentary handling of a special bill on U.S. investment, aimed at responding to Washington’s plan to impose a 25 percent tariff increase, could be delayed.
With local elections scheduled for June, discussions over potential reshuffles within the presidential office and Cabinet are also expected to take shape. Following the holiday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to pay a three-day state visit to South Korea beginning Feb. 22.
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