President Lee Jae-myung urged caution after a freight operator representative said hopes were rising that a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran might lead to an end to hostilities.
At a roundtable today (the 8th) at the Uiwang inland container terminal in Gyeonggi Province, Lee was responding to Choi Kwang-sik, president of the National Freight Truck Transportation Association, who said, "With talk of a ceasefire, I personally hope the Middle East situation will calm and end quickly."
Lee’s reply suggested that, although both sides have agreed to a ceasefire, it would be premature to assume a final peace deal is imminent, since negotiations to reach a lasting settlement could still take a long time.
Hearing complaints from industry workers, Lee asked whether they were members of organizations such as the Cargo Solidarity union that can coordinate collective responses.
He also pointed to parcel delivery drivers, saying, "It’s important for workers in similar positions to organize and negotiate together," and added that such organizing should be encouraged.
When an industry official noted that logistics agencies in Seoul are often forced out because rents are so high, the president sympathized, saying, "People are being pushed out, too."
He instructed his aides to consult with the Defense Ministry about whether returned U.S. military sites in northern Gyeonggi—land that exists but is not being used effectively—could be repurposed as logistics complexes.
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Jeong Joo-hee (gee@yna.co.kr)
