Yoon's First Lunch with People Power Party Leadership: "Let's Move as One Body, Party and Government" (Comprehensive)

Conversation with Representative Lee Jun-seok before Visiting Ukraine... "No Conclusion on Ukraine Support"
Gifted Presidential Watch... Personally Guided to the Office

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 10th, President Yoon Suk-yeol met with the leadership of the People Power Party and expressed regret over the slow progress in providing support to Ukraine.

President Yoon held a luncheon meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office from 12:00 PM for about an hour and a half. Attending the luncheon were party leaders including Representative Lee Jun-seok, Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong, Supreme Council members Jo Su-jin, Jeong Mi-kyung, Yoon Young-seok, Kim Yong-tae, Policy Committee Chairman Seong Il-jong, Secretary-General Han Ki-ho, and Deputy Floor Leader Song Eon-seok, as well as Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Public Relations Choi Young-beom, and Spokesperson Kang In-seon.

President Yoon asked Representative Lee, who had just returned from a visit to Ukraine the day before, about the situation there and listened to his explanation. President Yoon expressed regret, saying, "There are some domestic and international legal issues regarding our support system, so I hope these are resolved quickly. If Representative Lee goes as a special envoy, there would be more to do, but the conclusion has not been reached yet."

President Yoon also asked, "How was it meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and the people there? It seems unlikely that the ceasefire will happen in the near future, right?"

Representative Lee replied, "Due to internal political circumstances, it seems difficult to mention a ceasefire easily, and there appear to be some disagreements within. President Zelensky seems to be gaining confidence gradually, but on the other hand, because of the urgency, there is a feeling that they want to express some regrets to us as well."

When Representative Lee mentioned that President Yoon’s inaugural speech emphasized freedom and that expectations were high, President Yoon said, "That means they themselves are desperate," and Representative Lee agreed, saying, "They are desperate."

A presidential office official explained President Yoon’s remarks regarding the special envoy to Ukraine, saying, "The international community agrees on the need to support Ukraine. There have been various discussions about support, and we are also reviewing support measures. If the review had been completed and specific support plans were ready, Representative Lee might have been able to go as a special envoy."

However, it is known that President Yoon did not mention the internal conflicts within the party, such as the verbal exchanges between Representative Lee and Assemblyman Jeong Jin-seok. When reporters met him on his way to work that day, President Yoon said, "Politics is just like that," and added, "The president is the president of the nation, not the head of the party, so it is appropriate to observe party matters."

The official added, "President Yoon urged the party and government to work as one to carry out national tasks going forward," and noted, "Today is especially meaningful as it marks one month since the president’s inauguration and the first anniversary of Representative Lee’s appointment."

President Yoon gifted the party leadership with presidential watches and personally guided them through his office. The luncheon consisted of a Korean-style lunchbox featuring galbijjim (braised short ribs), seaweed soup, grilled fish, and fruit.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.