Lee Jae Myung: 'Worried' rising conflicts between nations may escalate into war

President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday (local time) he was worried that intensifying conflicts between nations were increasingly likely to escalate into war.

Lee, who is on a state visit to France, made the remarks during a meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann at a hotel in Paris that day. "International relations are becoming highly unstable, and as hostility deepens among people, more are adopting extremist thinking, which in turn intensifies the conflicts they cause," he said.

"There are various causes behind the intensifying conflict and confrontation between countries, people and groups, but if you dig down to the root, economic polarization ultimately has a major impact," he said.

Speaking on the OECD's role in easing such polarization, Lee said, "There has been much discussion of the theory of inclusive growth, which holds that fairly sharing the opportunities and fruits of growth as much as possible is the path to sustainable growth, and I hope there will be more emphasis on that issue." He added, "I hope there will be greater emphasis on policy and political efforts to fundamentally ease polarization."

On South Korea's relationship with the OECD, Lee said, "The OECD has produced a great deal of research and offered direction on economic and social policy worldwide, and South Korea has benefited greatly from that." He added, "South Korea has changed from a country that received aid to one that can provide it, and as the global situation has shifted significantly, South Korea seems to need to make greater contributions as well."

In response, Cormann said, "Among the OECD's many member countries, South Korea is a strong success story," adding, "South Korea's experience is a great source of inspiration, particularly in strengthening ties with other regions such as Southeast Asia."

He went on to say, "The international community is now going through a very difficult period, and we are seeing conflict at various levels," adding, "The OECD is working to foster cooperation among countries that share common values."

"I fully agree on the importance of inclusive growth," he said, and went on to say, "We have focused a great deal on this and will continue to do so going forward."