Presidential Office Responds "Nothing to Say" to Lee Jae-myung's 'Summit Meeting' Request... Effectively Rejects

Yeo: "Lee intends to restore political status"

The Presidential Office stated on the 3rd that it has "nothing special to say" regarding Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, requesting a summit meeting. Considering the Presidential Office's previous refusals of Lee's summit meeting requests, describing such requests as only possible in an authoritarian era when the president was the ruling party's leader, this response is interpreted as a de facto rejection.

A Presidential Office official responded this way when a reporter met at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and said, "The Democratic Party is demanding acceptance of a livelihood summit meeting."

Since last year, the Presidential Office has rejected Lee's requests, stating that the term "summit meeting" itself is inappropriate and that the negotiation partner for the opposition party leader is the ruling party leader.

Earlier, on Chuseok day, September 29, Lee proposed a "livelihood summit meeting" to President Yoon via social media (SNS). This is Lee's eighth proposal for a summit meeting. Lee demanded, "At least until the December regular National Assembly session, let's stop political strife and focus on resolving livelihood issues," adding, "I hope the president and the opposition party leader can meet unconditionally to candidly discuss livelihood and state affairs, and swiftly carry out what can be done."

Political circles are analyzing that after the court dismissed the arrest warrant requested by the prosecution, Lee is trying to secure control over state affairs by using the summit meeting card.

The ruling party, the People Power Party, also rebutted Lee's request. Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, pointed out at the party's strategy meeting held at the National Assembly in the morning that the negotiation partner is the ruling party leadership.

Floor Leader Yoon criticized, "Lee's sudden proposal of a livelihood summit meeting without an apology is seen by the majority of the public not as genuine concern for livelihood but as a political maneuver to restore his political status through a meeting with the president," adding, "If Lee truly wants to focus on livelihood, the priority should be effectively restoring dialogue channels between the ruling and opposition party leadership."

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