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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Nov. 10, 2026. /Yonhap

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday called for close cooperation with the U.S. administration and stronger bipartisan ties with Congress, warning that changes in the international environment were expected following the U.S. midterm elections.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Lee urged relevant ministries and government agencies to analyze potential developments and carefully prepare response plans for different scenarios.

"Various changes in the external environment are expected following the U.S. midterm elections," Lee said.

"Relevant ministries and agencies should analyze potential developments and carefully prepare responses for different scenarios."

Lee particularly emphasized the need to minimize the impact of external uncertainty on the domestic and global economies.

"We must do everything possible to minimize the impact of external uncertainty on the economy, both at home and abroad," he said.

"We should closely monitor economic developments in the United States and around the world and establish a rapid response system to prevent instability in financial markets."

Lee also stressed the importance of strengthening South Korea's economic fundamentals.

"To avoid being swayed by external pressures, we need to strengthen our economic fundamentals," he said.

"We must carefully strengthen the competitiveness of key industries such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence and maintain the momentum of our growth industries."

Turning to relations with Washington, Lee called for diplomatic efforts to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation.

"We must focus our diplomatic efforts on building and expanding trust between South Korea and the United States based on mutual benefit," he said.

"We need to firmly protect our national interests and corporate investments while working together to ensure that agreements between our two countries in diplomacy and security are implemented."

He added, "We must continue working closely with the U.S. administration, establish a framework for bipartisan cooperation in Congress, and expand communication with state governments and the business community."

Lee also emphasized the need for both consistency and flexibility in responding to global uncertainty.

"The greater the uncertainty in international affairs, the more we need consistent yet flexible responses," he said.

"We will not be swayed by every development. Instead, we will devote all our efforts to pragmatic diplomacy and governing with people's livelihoods as our top priority."

                                                                                                              Hong Sun-mi