Kim Jong-in: "Yoon Meeting Lee Jae-myung is a Great Leap Forward... We Must Wait and See the Outcome"

"2-Year Performance Evaluation Results Now"

Former Reform New Party Standing Advisor Kim Jong-in praised President Yoon Suk-yeol, who said he would meet Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, as a "great leap forward."

Kim appeared on CBS Radio's 'Park Jae-hong's One-on-One Match' on the evening of the 19th and evaluated, "The president showed for the first time a changed appearance after the general election."

Kim Jong-in, former Standing Advisor of the Reform New Party [Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers]

However, he added, "We still have to wait and see what the outcome will be after the meeting," and "Since he has decided to meet this time, it could be an opportunity to bring about change, but based on my experience with President Yoon's tendencies, I think it will be very difficult."

Earlier, President Yoon and Lee had a phone call for about five minutes starting at 3:30 p.m. the previous day and agreed to meet next week at the Yongsan Presidential Office. This meeting is the first meeting proposal since President Yoon took office, marking the first summit meeting in 1 year and 11 months since his inauguration. Both sides are currently coordinating the date, format, and agenda of the meeting.

Kim also saw the possibility that President Yoon and Lee might discuss the next prime minister appointment. "Since the prime minister has no real appointment authority, honestly, the opposition leader can say, 'You try recommending someone,' and the decision can be made," he said. "If Lee talks with the president, the two might select an appropriate person, so we have to wait and see."

Nevertheless, he viewed cooperation as difficult. "The ruling party has to make mistakes for the opposition to have hope. If they cooperate with the president, it ultimately harms the opposition," he analyzed. "Therefore, the opposition cannot just follow whatever the ruling party proposes."

He also clearly stated, "The situation of a minority ruling party before the general election and after the general election is different." He explained, "Before the general election, the opposition already controlled the National Assembly when the president took office, so the general public accepted that things did not go well. But now, the results reflect an evaluation of the achievements over the past two years, so it must be received very cautiously."