Park Kwang-on: "Meeting with 'Lee Jae-myung Party Leader' Comes Before Yoon and Opposition Floor Leaders"

President's Office Hints at Meeting with Ruling and Opposition Party Floor Leaders on the 2nd
Democratic Party: "Meeting the Party Leader First Is the Order"

The Democratic Party of Korea emphasized that "meeting the party leader first is the proper order," targeting the issue of 'party leader passing,' where President Yoon Suk-yeol might meet with the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties while bypassing party leader Lee Jae-myung.

Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is giving a greeting after receiving a visit from Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs of the Presidential Office, at the National Assembly on the 2nd. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

On the 2nd, Kim Han-kyu, the Democratic Party floor spokesperson, spoke at the National Assembly in the afternoon regarding the meeting between Park Kwang-on, the Democratic Party floor leader, and Lee Jin-bok, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, stating, "We discussed the Presidential Office spokesperson's remark yesterday that President Yoon has the intention to meet with the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties."

Floor spokesperson Kim said, "Lee Jin-bok mentioned that 'President Yoon has the intention to meet with the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties. If the floor leaders agree, he can meet them, and if he is called during the separate meetings between the floor leaders, he can come.'

He added, "This is a proposal once again for a meeting between the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties."

In response, floor leader Park Kwang-on reportedly replied, "The proper order is for President Yoon to meet party leader Lee Jae-myung first."

Floor spokesperson Kim stated, "It was made clear that a meeting between President Yoon and the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties is difficult under the current circumstances."

This is interpreted as meaning that it is inappropriate to meet the floor leaders first while bypassing the party leader. Since President Yoon's inauguration, the Democratic Party has repeatedly requested and tried to arrange a 'summit meeting' with party leader Lee Jae-myung, but it has not materialized.