Minju: "No Limits on Agenda for Yeongsu Meeting"... Will 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor' Be Raised?

Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung Confirm First Summit Meeting on 29th
Democrats May Mention Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Law

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will meet. This is the first summit meeting since President Yoon's term began. Although both sides engaged in a prolonged tug-of-war over agenda coordination, they agreed to hold a broad conversation on public livelihood without any special restrictions.

The Blue House and the Democratic Party finalized the schedule for the first summit meeting on the morning of the 26th after the third working-level meeting. President Yoon and Lee Jae-myung will have a casual talk around 2 p.m. on the 29th at the Yongsan Presidential Office. Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, stated in a briefing, "We hope this meeting will serve as an opportunity to revive the livelihood and economy and resolve various national issues through frank dialogue between the president and the opposition party leader."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea

The meeting is expected to last about an hour, but it may be extended depending on the flow of the conversation. Three people from each side will attend. From the Blue House, Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho, and Senior Secretary for Public Relations Lee Do-woon will participate. From the Democratic Party, Chief of Staff Cheon Jun-ho, Policy Committee Chair Jin Seong-jun, and Spokesperson Park Seong-jun will join.

Chief of Staff Cheon Jun-ho said in a meeting with reporters at the National Assembly that day, "We expect this meeting to be one where the public sentiment expressed in the general election is conveyed honestly to President Yoon Suk-yeol, and efforts are made to restore public livelihood and shift the national policy direction as desired by the people." Regarding the decision to hold the meeting in a 'casual talk' format rather than a lunch or dinner, he explained, "We judged that a casual talk would be more advantageous for free conversation."

When asked whether not setting an agenda beforehand might place a heavy burden on both sides if no results are achieved, Chief of Staff Cheon responded, "We proposed several important agenda items multiple times and requested the Blue House's review opinions, but they did not provide any feedback," adding, "Rather than having the meeting delayed continuously over such issues, Lee Jae-myung's decision was that it would be better to meet urgently and discuss because the public livelihood situation is difficult and urgent."

While not setting specific agenda items, the Democratic Party side remains open to raising sensitive issues such as the 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act' at the meeting. When asked if the Kim Geon-hee special prosecutor would be discussed, Chief of Staff Cheon said, "We have neither proposed specific agenda items nor said anything should not be discussed," adding, "The Democratic Party mentioned it during the working-level negotiations." In addition, the Democratic Party plans to bring all previously emphasized agenda items to the table, including a special prosecutor investigation into allegations of external pressure on the investigation of the Marine Corps personnel death case and the supplementary budget for the 'Public Livelihood Recovery Fund' to provide 250,000 won per person nationwide.