President Lee Jae-myung on Wednesday met with ruling and opposition party leaders at Cheongwadae, urging bipartisan dialogue to restore public livelihoods. The meeting marked the first time the government and both parties gathered since September 8 last year — a gap of 211 days. The leaders clasped hands in an amicable atmosphere, but failed to find common ground on major pending issues.
The Democratic Party of Korea positively assessed the meeting, saying "there was consensus on activating a bipartisan livelihood consultative body whenever needed." The People Power Party (PPP) acknowledged the significance of the dialogue itself but took a confrontational stance on key issues. In response to President Lee's request to participate in constitutional reform, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk fired back, demanding that "the president first declare he will not seek a second or extended term."
President Lee was also reported to have reacted negatively to the PPP's requests for additional fuel tax cuts and passage of the Busan Global Hub City Special Act.
During the roughly two-hour luncheon, President Lee appealed for cooperation, saying, "In difficult times like these, especially when our community faces a crisis caused by external factors, internal unity is truly important." He added, "When opinions differ, it is better to meet and talk frequently. The government is doing its best. I ask both the opposition and ruling parties to show consideration."
Despite ongoing tensions between the ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly, the meeting proceeded in a relatively cordial atmosphere. During a photo session before the luncheon, President Lee encouraged Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae and PPP leader Jang to shake hands, saying, "You're still not shaking hands, are you? Give it a try." When it came to public remarks, he yielded the first turn to Jang, who is five years his junior, saying, "You first, sir." After Jeong spoke, Lee offered Jang an additional chance to respond, saying, "You might feel hard done by, so please go ahead."
Jang said, "What I have to say may sound uncomfortable, but I hope you will listen willingly, considering these are the voices of struggling citizens." He then listed problems with the government's supplementary budget bill, real estate policy, the investigation-manipulation parliamentary probe, and diplomatic direction. Criticizing housing policy, he said, "The government is promoting that Gangnam housing prices have fallen, but prices have risen everywhere else outside Gangnam."
He also made a pointed joke targeting the ruling camp's criticism of multi-home ownership, saying, "Anticipating a meeting like this, I recently went through the trouble of selling four of my six properties." President Lee listened attentively despite the criticisms, saying he was "not uncomfortable at all." On the so-called "Jim Carrey budget" — a supplementary budget item targeting Chinese tourists that the opposition had flagged — Lee gave an on-the-spot instruction to "cut it if it only targets Chinese nationals."
However, in the closed-door session that followed, President Lee reportedly heard the PPP's various demands on pending issues but mostly either did not respond or expressed a negative stance. PPP chief spokesperson Choi Bo-yun said, "Floor Leader Song Eon-seok proposed additional fuel tax cuts, but we confirmed that the president's perspective differs significantly." Choi added that "the president also expressed a negative stance on the proposed passage of the Busan Global Hub Special Act." Regarding the PPP's suggestion to suspend the ruling party-led parliamentary investigation into prosecution manipulation until the Middle East situation stabilizes, the Democratic Party conveyed clear opposition.
On the supplementary budget, the two sides found some limited common ground. Choi said, "The Democratic Party responded positively to reviewing the PPP's proposed 'Seven Projects for National Survival.'" The Democratic Party also indicated it would withdraw the 4.9 billion won budget allocation for Traffic Broadcasting System (TBS) support, which the PPP had flagged as inconsistent with the supplementary budget's purpose.
The PPP reaffirmed its firm opposition to President Lee's proposal on constitutional reform. According to attendees, Lee said in the closed-door session that "the current constitution is 39 years old and needs a comprehensive overhaul," requesting opposition cooperation. Choi said, "We made clear that our party's official position is to oppose holding a constitutional referendum simultaneously with local elections." Choi added that "Leader Jang proposed that the president preemptively declare he will not seek a second or extended term before discussing constitutional reform, but the president avoided giving a direct answer."
Cheongwadae pushed back on this characterization, saying, "The claim that he avoided a direct answer is untrue." The presidential office said, "President Lee responded that it is impossible to amend and pass a revised version of the constitutional amendment bill that has already been publicly announced."
Despite some disagreements, both parties agreed on the need for continued meetings. Kang Jun-hyeon, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, said, "Spending two hours together, I felt this kind of communication can work. It holds great significance for bipartisan cooperation. This was the first step."
Choi said, "The fact that ruling and opposition leaders could sit down and talk with the president is itself a major achievement. I hope these meetings continue and lead to cooperation."
This was the third government-opposition luncheon since the current administration's inauguration, following meetings in June and September last year. A meeting was also arranged for February 12, but it fell through after PPP leader Jang notified his absence just one hour beforehand in protest of the ruling party's forced passage of judicial reform bills.