Amid the Failure of the Summit, Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Meet... Will It Open the Way for Cooperation?

Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Meet Weekly... From Introduction to Hearing Conclusion
Conflict Escalation Variable Including Lee Gyunyong Supreme Court Chief Justice Confirmation

With the meeting between Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, and Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, there is an assessment that the deadlock in bipartisan cooperation has been broken. This marks a turning point in the political landscape amid growing concerns about the 'disappearance of cooperation' following the failure of talks between party leaders Kim Ki-hyun and Lee Jae-myung, as well as the summit meeting.

However, it is expected that conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties will gradually intensify over issues such as the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-yong, in addition to ministerial nominee hearings.

Despite the lack of communication in the political sphere, meetings between floor leaders have been consistently held, serving as a bridge between the two parties. Recently, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, proposed a 'Livelihood Summit Meeting' to the Presidential Office, but the office effectively rejected it. Meanwhile, Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, and Lee engaged in a tense standoff over the format of their meeting, which ultimately failed to materialize. In contrast, Yoon Jae-ok of the People Power Party and former Democratic Party floor leader Park Kwang-on have maintained communication through weekly Monday lunch meetings.

On the 4th, Hong Ik-pyo, the newly appointed Democratic Party floor leader who visited Yoon, also agreed on the necessity of cooperation and decided to follow the existing custom of lunch meetings. It was also during this meeting that they concluded to continue consultations between the two parties to hold the previously nearly canceled nominee hearing for Kim on the 5th as scheduled. Initially, the People Power Party had expressed intentions to 'boycott the hearing,' criticizing the Democratic Party's unilateral approval of the hearing schedule.

On the same day, Hong Ik-pyo explained on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "Yesterday (the 4th), the floor leaders agreed to have the hearing held normally and to have the chairpersons and secretaries of both parties consult with each other. The consultation went well."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jang Dong-hyuk, the spokesperson for the People Power Party floor, said, "In broad terms, moving forward with floor operations and running the National Assembly, they agreed to engage in intense debates on major issues where there are significant differences but to avoid unnecessary political strife over minor issues and to pursue cooperation."

On the afternoon of the 4th, Jang told MBC Radio's 'Shin Jang-sik's News Highkick,' "Specifically, there were concerns that the hearing for nominee Kim might not proceed smoothly due to the unilateral adoption of the implementation plan, but the floor leaders met and agreed that the chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the secretaries of both parties would consult to ensure the hearing proceeds smoothly."

However, conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties are expected to deepen over the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee Lee Gyun-yong and other issues in the future.

Political commentator Kim Sung-wan appeared on Yonhap News TV's 'News Focus' on the 4th and said, "Is the incumbent president really not going to meet the leader of the main opposition party even once? They have to meet at some point." He added, "President Yoon Seok-yeol said during his inauguration in March last year that he would cooperate with the opposition. The majority of the public likely hopes for cooperation."

Kim further explained, "There have been continuous talks about meeting, but the ruling party leader has met more than ten times, so is it really that difficult to meet the opposition leader even once? From President Yoon's perspective, creating an atmosphere for government reform is necessary, and if the two meet, it would be helpful not only for Lee but also for the president."

There is also an analysis that Lee's recent failed proposal for a summit meeting was closer to a 'political intention' than genuine cooperation. Political commentator Choi Soo-young said on 'News Focus,' "Lee probably made the proposal knowing that President Yoon would not accept the summit meeting. The talk of a summit meeting seems to be a strategic statement aimed at portraying the Presidential Office as an icon of poor communication."