Proposal for Meeting with the Ruling Party... Lee Jae-myung's Counterproposal for a "Three-Party Meeting of Ruling, Opposition, and Administration"

"Let's Have a Three-Party Talk Including Yoon"... Refuse Bilateral Talks
Presidential Office Emphasizes Communication, Attention on Whether to Accept Lee's Proposal

The Democratic Party of Korea counter-proposed a 'tripartite meeting among the ruling party, opposition party, and the government,' including President Yoon Suk-yeol, instead of the livelihood cooperation talks between party leaders proposed by Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party.

On the morning of the 23rd, Kwon Chil-seung, the senior spokesperson of the Democratic Party, held a briefing immediately after the Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly main building, stating, "The basic position of the Democratic Party is that the president must directly step up to restore livelihoods and politics," and added, "To focus on economic recovery and livelihoods, we propose a tripartite meeting among the ruling party, opposition party, and the government, that is, among the president, the ruling party leader, and the opposition party leader." The Democratic Party rejected the bilateral talks between party leaders proposed by Kim.

Earlier, on the 22nd, Kim proposed at the high-level party-government council held at the National Assembly, "Let's hold livelihood cooperation talks between party leaders to make the National Assembly focused on livelihoods," and said, "I will meet with the opposition leader anytime and anywhere without being bound by formality or protocol."

Analysts interpret Kim's move, who is under fire for the crushing defeat in the Gangseo District mayoral by-election, as an attempt to turn the tide and emphasize the image of a responsible ruling party through talks between party leaders.

Kim had also proposed a meeting with Lee in May, but Lee did not respond and instead counter-proposed a summit meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response, the Democratic Party showed a cold reaction. Lee presided over the Supreme Council meeting that day but did not make any particular statement regarding the meeting between party leaders. Instead, the leadership responded by urging President Yoon to first accept the summit meeting.

Supreme Council member Jung Cheong-rae said, "I hope a meeting between President Yoon and leader Lee Jae-myung will take place rather than wasting time with a powerless figurehead that has no authority and meaningless talks," and Supreme Council member Park Chan-dae criticized, "It is a trick to evade the responsibility following the crushing defeat in the Gangseo District mayoral by-election."

Jang Kyung-tae, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' that "What meaning does a meeting with a party leader who practically has no decision-making power have?" and added, "We can meet Kim, but from our Democratic Party's perspective, the concern is whether Kim realistically has the momentum to discuss various livelihood issues and change the outcomes of those discussions."

It is uncertain whether the presidential office and the ruling party will accept the Democratic Party's proposal for a tripartite meeting among the ruling party, opposition party, and the government. The presidential office has so far effectively rejected one-on-one meetings between President Yoon and Lee due to Lee's status as a suspect, but this proposal is for a tripartite meeting including Kim as well. It can also be seen as part of President Yoon's strengthened communication efforts following the Gangseo District by-election defeat.

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, emphasized the necessity of a meeting between party leaders, saying, "If leader Lee has sincerity about livelihoods, she should naturally meet with the ruling party leader unconditionally to discuss all these matters."

He said, "There are many issues making our lives difficult, such as interest rates, prices, and oil prices, which the people are suffering from," and added, "If the ruling and opposition parties show cooperation to solve these issues, it is a responsibility that both leader Lee and leader Kim must fulfill, so I don't think they will avoid it for political reasons."

He also acknowledged the need for a meeting between President Yoon and leader Lee, saying, "Strengthening communication with opposition leaders, whether party leaders or floor leaders, will help solve current problems and move toward national unity." This marks a change from the previous People Power Party stance, which criticized leader Lee's proposal for a livelihood summit meeting with President Yoon as "casting pearls before swine" (Kim Ki-hyun) and "political maneuvering" (floor leader Yoon Jae-ok).

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