Lee Jun-seok: "I hope Lee Jae-myung does not hold a meaningless meeting with President Yoon"

"The President: People Like Cho Kuk and Lee Jun-seok Might Be Burdensome"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, said that when President Yoon Seok-yeol called Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to propose a summit meeting, "I hope Leader Lee does not engage in a meaningless meeting."

On the afternoon of the 19th, Leader Lee met with reporters immediately after a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office and said, "It is a positive signal that President Yoon wants to meet opposition leaders." He added, "I had anticipated this because I received such intelligence this morning. However, as I mentioned a few days ago, it would be problematic if this simply takes the form of a superficial cooperation."

Specifically referring to Special Prosecutor Chae Sang-byeong, Leader Lee said, "Just as in diplomatic negotiations where the outcome is prepared through prior consultations and only the final seal is stamped at the end, I think the opposition should also act only after receiving a clear cooperation signal from the president on key issues." He continued, "I am not sure how other opposition leaders will respond, but at least Leader Lee understands the gravity of the matters and hopes to avoid meaningless meetings."

Regarding President Yoon proposing a meeting only to Leader Lee Jae-myung, Leader Lee said, "I think that is possible. Since the Democratic Party is the party that formed the negotiation group, it seems the scope is being limited." He added, "Usually, in such situations, the president tends to avoid meeting individuals alone. I think the president made a political judgment, likely finding figures like Cho Guk (leader of the Cho Guk Reform Party) or Lee Jun-seok somewhat burdensome."