President Lee Holds Surprise In-Flight Press Conference: "Naturally Open to Dialogue with Opposition... I Represent the People"

"The Ruling Party Leader and the President Hold Different Positions...
I Stand to Lead the Entire Nation"
On Falling Approval Ratings:
"Opposition Party Convention Has an Impact...
Chasing Popularity Brings Harm"

President Lee Jaemyung, who is visiting the United States for his first South Korea-U.S. summit, stated that opposition party leaders, as they are also elected by the people, are naturally counterparts for dialogue. He also emphasized that, as the highest official responsible for state affairs, he must represent the people rather than just the ruling party.

Yonhap News Agency

On the 24th (local time), during a press conference aboard his private plane departing from Haneda Airport in Japan and heading from Tokyo to Washington, D.C. for the South Korea-U.S. summit, President Lee responded to a question asking whether he would still be willing to engage in dialogue with the opposition if Bantanha is elected as the leader of the People Power Party. He affirmed this stance.

President Lee further commented, "Isn't the question essentially whether I would accept a leadership group that opposes impeachment and, in effect, seems to have sided with insurrection?" He added, "I imagine Representative Jeong Cheongrae must have struggled with such concerns as well; it is a truly difficult issue." President Lee elaborated, "At this point, it is impossible to know what legal or political sanctions might be imposed in the future."

He also highlighted that the positions of the ruling party leader and the president are fundamentally different. President Lee said, "I won the presidential election with the support of the ruling party and on the basis of its platform," but added, "From the moment I take office and assume responsibility for state affairs, I must represent the people, not just the ruling party." He continued, "I am in a position where I must unify both sides and, representing the people, lead the entire nation from the people's perspective."

Regarding questions about the recent decline in approval ratings, he responded, "The People Power Party is currently holding its national convention," and added, "I believe this has had a significant impact." He continued, "I acknowledge that there is a rather critical view of my administration," and said, "In politics, it is more important to improve the conditions of people's lives than to achieve temporarily favorable results through clever packaging." President Lee added, "Ultimately, my performance will be judged by approval ratings."

President Lee also remarked, "As a river flows to the sea, there are typhoons, waves, and sometimes rough currents in the valleys. If you become too preoccupied with these, your judgment may become clouded." He added, "If you only do what is advantageous to yourself to gain popularity, proper governance cannot be achieved."

Meanwhile, he also addressed issues related to tax system reform. His remarks are interpreted as a response to criticism over the proposal to lower the threshold for major shareholder capital gains tax.

President Lee pointed out, "If you simply give handouts, your popularity may rise, but it will cause serious harm, and you will only realize the damage later." He continued, "When it comes to tax reform, wouldn't everyone prefer to have taxes abolished? Promising to eliminate taxes may be popular, but ultimately, it will ruin the nation's finances."

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