Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been hospitalized for treatment for four days after testing positive for COVID-19. As a result, the scheduled meeting between party leaders with Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party has been indefinitely postponed.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
According to political circles on the 25th, Lee tested positive for COVID-19 on the 22nd and has been receiving inpatient treatment at a hospital in Incheon for four days. Under current quarantine guidelines, COVID-19 positive individuals are advised to self-isolate until 24 hours after major symptoms have improved.
Lee has been receiving reports on party affairs through platforms such as Telegram, but the timing of his discharge has not yet been determined. Accordingly, the party's Supreme Council meeting scheduled for the 26th is expected to be chaired by Senior Supreme Council Member Kim Min-seok.
Due to Lee's hospitalization, the planned meeting between the party leaders originally set for that day has been postponed indefinitely. The working-level negotiations that were initiated to coordinate the agenda for the leaders' meeting have also reportedly been effectively suspended.
Even if Lee returns immediately, it would be difficult to hold the leaders' meeting right away due to a tight political schedule. The National Assembly plenary session is scheduled for the 28th, and workshops for lawmakers from both parties are planned for the 29th and 30th. Additionally, coordination on contentious issues between the two parties, such as the special prosecutor law for Chae Sang-byung and the financial investment income tax, is necessary, making it unlikely that the leaders' meeting will be held in the near future.
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