Lee Jae-myung to President Yoon: "Last Chance to Change the Course of State Affairs"...130-Minute Meeting (Summary)

Yoon and Lee Hold First One-on-One Meeting in 720 Days
Lee Demands Special Prosecutor for Chae Sang-byeong and Itaewon Special Law
"Insist on Accepting Livelihood Recovery Support Fund"
"Will Actively Cooperate with Democratic Party on Medical Reform"

President Yoon Suk-yeol listens to the remarks of Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, during a summit meeting held on the 29th at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the first meeting between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 29th, Lee stated, "Today's meeting, the first in two years, is a precious occasion to heed the will of the people," adding, "It is the last chance to change the direction of state affairs." Lee actively urged President Yoon to accept the 'Special Investigation Act on the Suspected External Pressure in the Death Case of Marine Chae Sang-byeong' (Chae Sang-byeong Special Investigation) and the 'Special Act on the Itaewon Disaster,' while expressing deep regret over the exercise of veto power against these special investigation laws.

During the bilateral meeting held around 2 p.m. at the second-floor office of the Yongsan Presidential Office, Lee said in his opening remarks, "The will of the people expressed in this general election is a stern order to correct the mismanaged state affairs," and added, "It is now time to focus the momentum of state affairs on overcoming the livelihood crisis."

Lee Jae-myung: "It takes 20 minutes, but actually took 700 days to come"

Before his opening remarks, Lee said, "It takes about 20 minutes to come here, but it actually took about 700 days to get here," adding, "Although it feels a bit late, there is also a saying that the time you say is late is actually the fastest, so I hope this meeting will be an opportunity to create new hope for our people." In fact, this bilateral meeting between President Yoon and Lee was the first since President Yoon's inauguration in May 2022, marking 720 days.

First, Lee emphasized, "It is a principle that the government steps in when the private economy is struggling," and requested, "Please actively consider the urgent livelihood recovery measures proposed by the Democratic Party." In particular, he demanded, "Please accept the livelihood recovery support fund, which, when paid through local currency, has a significant effect not only on income support but also on supporting neighborhood markets, small business owners, self-employed people, and local areas."

He also conveyed the position that the restoration of the national research and development (R&D) budget cannot be postponed until next year. Lee said, "I think it would be good to handle the restoration of the R&D budget together with any supplementary budget for livelihood support, rather than postponing it until next year," and emphasized, "I ask for active interest in urgent livelihood legislation such as the special act on rental fraud and others."

Lee also requested respect for the National Assembly and recognition of the opposition party as a partner in state affairs. He urged President Yoon, "If you try to subdue the National Assembly and the opposition party with administrative power, successful governance will not be easy," and added, "It would be truly good if you express regret over the exercise of veto power on the special act on the Itaewon disaster and the special investigation act, and promise to respect future decisions of the National Assembly."

Lee diagnosed, "In fact, the past two years have been widely evaluated as a period where politics was absent and only domination and governance existed," and expressed concern, "From the Democratic Party's perspective, excessive use of veto power on laws that were difficult to pass, governance by enforcement ordinances that infringe on legislative power, and the neutralization of personnel hearings could threaten the separation of powers and the rule of law, which are the two pillars of a democratic republic."

Request to accept the special investigation act related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee: "Need to resolve suspicions about family and others"

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung is speaking at a summit meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol held on the 29th at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Along with the request to actively accept the Chae Marine Special Investigation Act and the Itaewon Disaster Special Act, there was also a request to accept the special investigation act related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee. Lee added, "I think it would be good to take this opportunity to resolve various suspicions surrounding family members and close associates that have become a significant burden on state affairs."

Regarding medical reform, Lee said, "Medical reform, such as expanding medical school quotas, is an essential task that must be done, so our Democratic Party will actively cooperate," and explained, "If the public discussion committee in the National Assembly proposed by the Democratic Party allows the ruling and opposition parties and the medical community to discuss together, a good solution will be found."

He also said, "One important topic is pension reform," adding, "Recently, the National Assembly's Pension Reform Special Committee's public discussion committee prepared a reform plan with a 50% income replacement rate and a 13% insurance premium. I hope the President encourages the government and ruling party to take responsibility and proceed with the reform plan, and our Democratic Party will actively cooperate."

Furthermore, he urged a major change in renewable energy policy in response to the climate crisis and the era of energy transition. Lee said, "I am very concerned about the relocation of export companies' production bases overseas and the decline in industrial competitiveness due to the shortage of renewable energy," and added, "In line with the global trend of purchasing only products produced with renewable energy, the basic power supply plan should be reorganized to focus on renewable energy. Now, during the recession, is the right time to make large-scale investments in expanding the renewable energy industry infrastructure, like an energy highway."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at a summit meeting with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, held on the 29th at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also urged a prompt response to the international situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Lee said, "Value-centered bloc diplomacy alone cannot protect national interests or the country," and emphasized, "Please consider switching to pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests." He added that it would be good if the government made active efforts to ensure that the public's pride is not damaged in issues related to Japan, such as Dokdo, historical issues, and nuclear-contaminated water.

Lee said, "If you fear and respect the people, we will sincerely help the President and this government succeed," and added, "I hope you will show that politics can be a beautiful competition, not ugly political strife."

First bilateral meeting lasted 130 minutes, ended at 4:14 p.m.

In response, President Yoon said, "Thank you for your kind words, and since these are things that Leader Lee and the Democratic Party have emphasized, we expected such remarks," adding, "I appreciate your detailed comments, and let's proceed with our discussions privately," continuing the closed-door meeting.

The meeting, which started around 2 p.m., lasted 130 minutes and ended at 4:14 p.m. Attending from the Presidential Office were Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho, and Senior Secretary for Public Relations Lee Do-woon; from the Democratic Party were Policy Committee Chairman Jin Seong-jun, Chief Secretary to the Leader Cheon Jun-ho, and Chief Spokesperson Park Seong-jun.

The Presidential Office and the Democratic Party will each hold briefings on the results of the meeting.

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