President Lee Jae-myung, on a state visit to Singapore, met with the Korean community there on the 1st and said, "The independence of the Korean community in Singapore is in line with the spirit of the March 1 Independence Movement," asking them to serve as a bridge for future-oriented cooperation between Korea and Singapore. He also said the government would conduct a full survey of requests from Korean communities around the world and actively reflect them.
At a dinner meeting with the Korean community held at a hotel in downtown Singapore that day, the president said, "Korea and Singapore are expanding their stage of cooperation beyond trade and investment to artificial intelligence (AI), energy and defense," and added, "We ask the Korean community to act as private diplomats connecting the two countries."
Noting that the event was held to mark the 107th anniversary of March 1 Independence Movement Day, he emphasized, "The Korean community in Singapore carries a proud history of joining in the homeland's independence movement." Citing independence activist Jeong Dae-ho, who worked in Singapore, he said, "The fact that the Korean Association was founded in 1963, preceding the 1975 establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, is connected to the self-reliant spirit of the March 1 Independence Movement."
The president also expressed a commitment to expand support for the Korean community. The president said, "I recently ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct a full survey of civil petitions and requests from Korean communities worldwide," adding, "So far, about 1,400 requests have been received."
He also said the annual budget to support overseas Koreans is about 60 billion won, noting, "It is not a large sum even compared with the foreign aid budget." He added that the foreign aid budget, which had increased from 4 trillion won to 6 trillion won, was partially adjusted.
The president said, "It is difficult to resolve all petitions at once, but we will listen to the voices of the sovereign people," adding, "The government will firmly back our compatriots so they are respected without discrimination wherever they are."