Condolences to Minnochoong Executive Yang Hoedong... Q&A with Reporters
Park Kwangon Issues Statement Two Days After Refusing Meeting with President
Lee Jae-myung: "We Must Respect Each Other and Engage in Dialogue and Cooperation"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 4th, "If it is difficult for the President to meet with the opposition party leader due to various circumstances, I would not mind if he meets with the floor leader instead."
On the same day, Lee visited the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital where the body of Yang Hoe-dong, a construction union official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions who self-immolated and died before his pre-trial detention hearing, was laid out. After paying his respects, he told reporters, "It seems that the Yongsan (Presidential Office) side has expressed the intention to meet with the floor leader excluding the opposition party leader," and made the statement above.
Construction Union Member Yang Hoe-dong's Funeral Visited by Representative Lee Jae-myung Photo by Yonhap News
Lee said, "I hope that dialogue and politics can be restored somehow to overcome the difficult livelihood economy, security crisis, and extreme conflicts." He then emphasized again, "Politics must be restored again," and "It is not about killing the opponent but respecting, dialoguing, and cooperating with them."
Regarding the death of Yang, the construction union official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions who self-immolated before his warrant hearing, Lee said, "This happened due to the state's excessive pressure investigation," and added, "Since this investigation was conducted under certain directives and resulted in excessive investigation, I earnestly ask President Yoon Seok-yeol to pay his respects."
Earlier, Lee Jin-bok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, conveyed on the 2nd during a congratulatory visit to Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party, that "the President is willing to meet with the floor leaders of both ruling and opposition parties," and "the President may come if called upon during a meeting of the floor leaders."
However, Floor Leader Park effectively declined the proposal, stating that "the President should meet the party leaders first as a matter of protocol." Kim Han-gyu, Democratic Party floor spokesperson who was present, explained to reporters at the time, "It clearly indicates that a meeting between the President and the floor leaders of both parties is difficult at this time."
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