Hong Cheol-ho Senior Secretary for Political Affairs 2nd Working Meeting Briefing
"Democratic Party to Provide Response in 3rd Meeting"
Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, is explaining the results of the working-level meeting for the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The first summit meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is being delayed due to differences in viewpoints between the two sides. While the presidential office emphasized having a comprehensive dialogue without limiting the agenda, the Democratic Party insists that answers must be determined on key issues, suggesting that more time will be needed to coordinate positions.
On the 25th, ahead of the summit meeting between President Yoon and Leader Lee, the presidential office stated regarding the second working-level meeting, "We proposed holding a freely formatted meeting as soon as possible without prior agenda coordination or agreement, allowing for diverse discussions without any agenda restrictions."
Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, held a briefing at the presidential office that afternoon and said about the summit meeting, "This afternoon, we had the second meeting with Cheon Jun-ho, Chief of Staff to the Democratic Party leader." The meeting was held privately for about 40 minutes with the attendance of Senior Secretary Hong and Political Secretary Cha Soon-oh from the presidential office, and Chief of Staff Cheon and Political Planning Director Kwon Hyuk-gi from the Democratic Party.
Senior Secretary Hong explained, "The meeting between President Yoon and the opposition leader should be a place where all matters related to state affairs, including urgent livelihood issues, can be freely discussed," adding, "President Yoon has already expressed his willingness to listen to any topic, and Leader Lee also stated that he would convey the public sentiment revealed in the general election without reservation."
He continued, "This aligns with public opinion calling for the president and opposition leader to meet and have broad and diverse discussions on state affairs without being bound by formality or conditions," and added, "Regarding this proposal, Chief of Staff Cheon said he would consult with the leadership and provide a response later, and the meeting concluded."
Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, is explaining the results of the working-level meeting for the summit between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Earlier, it was reported that during the first working-level meeting on the 23rd, Leader Lee raised the issue of the livelihood recovery support fund (250,000 KRW per person nationwide) promised during the general election. On this day, a presidential office official told reporters, "It is true that the Democratic Party made specific proposals," but added, "However, we responded by saying we would accept them broadly rather than replying to specific proposals."
He further explained, "For example, regarding several issues proposed by the Democratic Party such as the 250,000 KRW livelihood recovery support fund and the special prosecutor law for Chae Sang-byeong, some cannot be accepted, partially accepted, or rejected," noting, "There are issues that violate the National Assembly Act and other laws." He explained that some parts are beyond the president's authority to decide, and rather than partially excluding these proposals, the tasks should be divided according to the roles of the president, the Democratic Party, and the People Power Party.
When asked whether the opposition's demand for a public apology was included in the agenda, the official replied, "I never said that, but it seems someone from the Democratic Party mentioned it," adding, "I believe Leader Lee would not say such things when sitting face-to-face with the president. It can be considered unconfirmed."
Regarding opinions that agreement on the summit meeting date is being delayed, he said, "We want to say that the agenda has been set," explaining, "Because everything is open, the agenda is included in the document we delivered." He added, "I understand the Democratic Party is probably consulting internally, and if our proposal is accepted for the first meeting, we expect a good outcome," and said, "The Democratic Party will provide a response for the third meeting, so we will wait for the results."
However, the presidential office and the Democratic Party showed differences in their positions on setting the summit meeting agenda. The official said, "The Democratic Party's position is to finalize the results first," and added, "We think the two leaders should have an open and frank discussion without dividing issues one by one, and based on the results, the ruling and opposition parties and the presidential office will take necessary policy or follow-up actions." He pointed out that even in past summit meetings, there were no cases where specific issues were approached and discussed individually.
Cheon Jun-ho, Chief Secretary to the Party Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is holding a briefing on the summit meeting at the National Assembly on the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Democratic Party expressed disappointment at the second working-level meeting, saying they did not hear the presidential office's specific stance on the demands conveyed during the first meeting.
Chief of Staff Cheon said, "The presidential office did not present specific review opinions on the agenda we proposed," and evaluated, "It would have been productive to proceed with the summit meeting after informing us of the results of the agenda review, but unfortunately, that did not happen." When asked if they were willing to concede on agendas the presidential office cannot accept, he emphasized, "The harsh public sentiment from the general election demands saving livelihoods and a shift in President Yoon's state affairs policy," and urged, "Please make efforts to have a substantive meeting that meets the public's expectations."
With the positions of both sides not narrowing after two working-level meetings ahead of the summit, there is an interpretation that the meeting may be delayed beyond the initially expected time. The Democratic Party plans to discuss the results of the working-level meeting with its leadership, decide on future response measures, and then convey the party's position to the presidential office.
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