Yoon: "Ruling and opposition parties must unite"... Cautious about the summit meeting

"Yeoya Hanadwaeya" Cooperation Message
No Direct Mention of Summit Meeting
Lee Proposes Summit Again After Previous Day
"Must Solve Livelihood Issues Through Cooperation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Ki-min Lee and Chae-eun Koo] President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 29th delivered a message of cooperation regarding the election of Lee Jae-myung as the new leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "While competition between the ruling and opposition parties is necessary, I believe we must unite for national interest and the people's livelihood." However, he did not directly address the summit meeting proposed by Lee, leading to interpretations that he might be negative about it. There is also speculation that a meeting between President Yoon and Lee will take shape depending on the formation of the ruling party leadership.

On the morning of the same day at the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Yoon told reporters in response to a question about "cooperation with the opposition party, including a meeting with the new Democratic Party leader," "I have always said that we must work together with the National Assembly, including the opposition party," expressing this view.

Lee presided over the first Supreme Council meeting of the day, following the previous day, and officially requested a summit meeting once again, urging a meeting with President Yoon. He said, "Can there be partisan strife between the ruling and opposition parties in front of the people's livelihood? I believe the ruling and opposition parties should come together in a bipartisan manner to overcome the economic crisis." Lee added, "I hope the Yoon Suk-yeol administration succeeds, and I ask the Democratic Party to find ways to cooperate under the principle of prioritizing the people's livelihood while maintaining checks and balances."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Despite Lee's proposal for a summit meeting, the presidential office's stance is that the likelihood of President Yoon agreeing to it is low. A presidential office official said, "The term 'summit meeting' is essentially a term from the past era when the president also served as the head of the ruling party," adding, "The president is now an ordinary party member."

If President Yoon meets with Lee, it is more likely to take the form of a meeting between the president and the National Assembly, where the leadership of both ruling and opposition parties meet together, rather than a one-on-one summit meeting. The presidential office also stated, "After reviewing the ruling party system, the meeting should be in the form of the president meeting with the leaders of both parties." Considering that the ruling party leadership is effectively vacant due to the injunction granted on the petition filed by former leader Lee Jun-seok, it is expected that a meeting between President Yoon and the party leaders will be difficult to realize for the time being.

Meanwhile, Lee visited the National Seoul Memorial Cemetery in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, as his first official schedule of the day. In the guestbook at the cemetery, Lee wrote, "I will not forget the noble sacrifices for the nation and the people." The memorial visit was attended by five new Supreme Council members (Jeong Cheong-rae, Go Min-jeong, Park Chan-dae, Seo Young-kyo, Jang Kyung-tae), Floor Leader Park Hong-geun, and members of the floor leadership team.

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