Yongsan "Preliminary Discussions Between Political Parties Are Necessary"
President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, are taking a commemorative photo after the summit meeting held on April 29 at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Presidential Office stated on the 7th regarding the opposition party's proposal for a ruling-opposition summit meeting (President and party leaders' meeting) that "there is a consensus on the necessity," but "consultations between the ruling and opposition parties must take place first."
A senior official from the Presidential Office told Asia Economy on the same day that there is "no message from Yongsan" in response to the summit meeting proposal by Lee Jae-myung, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, whose party leadership re-election is considered certain.
At a debate hosted by a broadcasting company the previous day, Lee Jae-myung answered the question, "Who is the person you most want to meet right now?" by saying, "I want to meet President Yoon again." Lee had met President Yoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office on April 29 to discuss livelihood issues, and this is his second proposal for a summit meeting in about three months.
Park Chan-dae, acting party leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, also said in the morning, "To respond to the economic emergency situation and discuss bipartisan crisis management, a ruling-opposition summit meeting must be held promptly," emphasizing, "It is difficult for the Yoon Seok-yeol government to overcome the crisis alone. The ruling and opposition parties need to seek measures quickly through 'top-down' discussions."
In response, a Presidential Office official said, "Discussions between the ruling and opposition parties should precede discussions with the Presidential Office," adding, "First, the Democratic Party’s party convention must conclude, and then this matter can be calmly reviewed."
Recently, as the ruling and opposition parties have shown extreme conflicts and confrontations, public fatigue has been accumulating, and criticism has surged that livelihood issues are being neglected amid political strife. This has led to the reemergence of the summit meeting card. There is also a negative view toward delaying the passage of livelihood bills while forcibly pushing through unilateral special prosecution bills, and as the president’s veto power is repeatedly exercised, creating a vicious cycle, it is analyzed that the Democratic Party also feels the burden.
As the Democratic Party shifts its stance and actively proposes the summit meeting to build momentum, the Presidential Office is closely monitoring the situation and showing a cautious attitude. One factor increasing Yongsan’s concerns is the regret over Lee’s unilateral reading of demands during the first summit meeting in April.
A Presidential Office official said, "President Yoon is on summer vacation, and there are many matters to discuss before the meeting can be arranged," adding, "It is not yet the stage to announce an official position, and consultations between the two parties regarding a meeting involving both ruling and opposition parties must take place first."
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