Lee Meets Minor Party Lawmakers: "Self-Destructive Acts in Foreign Affairs and Security... Hope for a Public Stance" (Comprehensive)

First Luncheon with Non-Parliamentary Groups and Independent Lawmakers... Calls for Bipartisan Cooperation
Lee: "Politics Is Essentially About Acting on Behalf of Others"
Lee: "We Must Overcome Political Polarization... National Interest Should Come First"

On April 29, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Looking at examples from other countries, even if there are differences of opinion and disputes regarding domestic issues, it is rare to find cases where self-destructive actions are taken in matters of foreign affairs or national security." He added, "Unfortunately, it seems that some of these tendencies still remain within us."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking ahead of lunch with non-mainstream party members and independent lawmakers at the Blue House on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News.

President Lee made these remarks during a luncheon meeting at the Blue House main building with members of non-parliamentary groups and independent lawmakers, referring to the recent deterioration of external conditions. Against the backdrop of continued criticism from opposition parties such as the People Power Party regarding the government's foreign policy, he appeared to emphasize the need for bipartisan cooperation on external matters.

President Lee said, "As all of our citizens are aware, the current external situation is extremely unfavorable. Although the domestic situation has also been very chaotic, we can overcome that with our own strength. However, when it comes to the deterioration of external conditions, it is not easy to address such problems with our strength alone." He went on to stress, "In order to overcome these difficult circumstances, especially in terms of our foreign relations domestically, it would be preferable for everyone to adopt a public stance." Immediately after this remark, President Lee added, "I am not saying that any of you here are like that," prompting laughter among the attendees.

President Lee also called for political unity. He said, "The public would probably want to see politics demonstrate its capacity for unity in order to overcome this crisis. Of course, the greatest responsibility rests with me. I will do my best, and I hope that everyone will work together." He added, "If we pool the strength of the people, we can wisely and successfully overcome both internal and external challenges."

President Lee also commented on the essence of politics. He said, "Politics, by its nature, is about acting on behalf of others. While it is important to uphold one's own political beliefs, what truly matters is a better life and future for the country and its people."

He further stated, "A broad perspective is truly necessary in politics. There are small differences and individual interests, but fundamentally, one must consider what is better for the country and its people, and compete to do a better job so as to earn the people's support. That is the true nature of politics."

The luncheon was attended by a total of 21 people, including lawmakers from the five non-parliamentary groups—the National Innovation Party, the Progressive Party, the Reform Party, the Basic Income Party, and the Social Democratic Party—as well as independent lawmakers. From the Blue House, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Special Political Advisor Cho Jung-sik, and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo were also present.

Suh Wangjin, floor leader of the National Innovation Party, evaluated the government's economic achievements, stating, "We consider the Lee Jae-myung administration as our own government and the President as our President." He referred to the burden of high oil prices and inflation, saying, "The structural vulnerability of energy security due to excessive dependence on fossil fuel imports is also becoming apparent." He further requested the government to swiftly accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

Floor leader Suh also addressed issues of regional integration, such as the creation of an integrated special city for South Jeolla and Gwangju, emphasizing, "It is an important foundation for balanced national development, allowing regions to design their own futures and overcome the dominance of the Seoul metropolitan area." Regarding regions like Pyeongtaek that have borne security-related sacrifices, he suggested, "There should be special compensation for special sacrifices," and called for the establishment of a stable support system.

Yoon Jongoh, floor leader of the Progressive Party, identified the normalization of the real estate market and the implementation of amendments to the Trade Union Act as major tasks. He said, "I deeply agree with the President's commitment to normalizing the real estate market," and mentioned issues such as the revision of the long-term holding special deduction, the realization of property tax burdens for ultra high-priced homes, and the problem of excessive corporate holdings of non-business land.

Floor leader Yoon also said, "Instability in the rental market is growing significantly," and called on the government to proactively present measures to expand public rental housing supply and protect tenants' rights. Regarding amendments to the Trade Union Act, he said, "It is not enough to simply refer issues to the Labor Relations Commission," and requested a more active role from the government authorities.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking before having lunch with members of non-parliamentary groups and independent lawmakers at the Blue House on the 29th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Chun Haram, floor leader of the Reform Party, proposed issues such as budget support for the integration of South Jeolla and Gwangju and the implementation of a national liability system for teacher lawsuits. He noted that the entire essential budget of 57.3 billion won for the integration of South Jeolla and Gwangju was cut during the supplementary budget review process, stating, "It is not right that, although the President promoted this as one of the key 'Five Axes, Three Specials' agendas, after the 'marriage' is completed, the regions are told to bear the costs themselves."

Floor leader Chun also said, "Please establish a civil complaint handling system so that front-line teachers do not have to deal with complaints, and implement a national liability system for teacher lawsuits so that teachers do not have to go back and forth to police stations and courts in the event of incidents."

Han Changmin, leader and floor leader of the Social Democratic Party, raised a wide range of issues, including the Coupang incident, the Homeplus case, job insecurity resulting from the transition to AI, follow-up measures after the amendment of Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, and discussions on constitutional revision.

Leader Han expressed concern that "if the President does not directly mention certain issues, there is a worry that necessary agendas or policy tasks may be pushed to the background," and called for proactive administration by the relevant ministries. Regarding the Coupang incident, he said, "It is not only a matter of leaking the personal information of tens of millions of people but also a very serious issue of abuse of power against small business owners and infringement of labor rights." He requested legislative and institutional reforms to normalize the online platform environment.

During the closed luncheon, all participants were given the opportunity to speak. Each lawmaker explained and proposed issues related to their areas of expertise and bills initiated through their respective standing committees. Lee Hyemin of the National Innovation Party offered opinions on establishing South Korea as one of the top three AI powerhouses, a key national agenda of the Lee Jae-myung administration. Park Eunjeong of the same party presented views on prosecution reform. Lee Jooyoung of the Reform Party spoke about completing medical reform, Jeong Hyekyung of the Progressive Party discussed the practical difficulties of union activities, and Jeon Jongdeok addressed the need for reform of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.

According to Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, in his closing remarks, President Lee expressed gratitude for the swift cooperation on processing the supplementary budget bill and assessed that non-parliamentary groups play the role of lubricants in a political landscape polarized by the two main parties. President Lee reiterated the need to overcome political polarization, especially stressing that, regardless of such polarization, matters related to foreign affairs should always prioritize the national interest.

Meanwhile, attendees exchanged greetings and took commemorative photos, at one point chanting, "Fighting, Lee Jae-myung!" The luncheon menu featured Korean cuisine, including shrimp and radish rolls with garlic sauce, pumpkin porridge, pan-fried sea bream and mung bean pancakes, braised short ribs topped with chestnuts and ginkgo nuts, mushroom pot rice, and clam seaweed soup.

The Blue House explained, "Today's luncheon was intended to express solidarity and gratitude to lawmakers who have cooperated in the process of overcoming crises and stabilizing national affairs, as well as to emphasize bipartisan cooperation in resolving issues affecting people's livelihoods and in the legislative process."

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