Kwon Seong-dong and Lee Jae-myung to Meet... Will They Discuss the State Affairs Council and Constitutional Court Justice Appointments?

First Meeting After Yoon Impeachment Motion Passed
Consensus on National Crisis Management but Significant Differences in Specific Approaches

Kwon Seong-dong, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, Leader of the Democratic Party, will meet on the afternoon of the 18th in the Democratic Party leader's office. This will be the first time the two face each other since the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol was passed in the National Assembly, drawing attention to whether a consensus on managing the political situation will be reached.

At this meeting, both ruling and opposition party leaders are expected to discuss measures to minimize confusion caused by the government vacuum and to normalize state affairs, as they share a common understanding on this point.

Kwon Seong-dong, Acting Party Leader and Floor Leader of the People Power Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

In particular, dialogue is expected regarding the National Stability Council proposed by Leader Lee and the appointment of Constitutional Court justices. However, since there remain significant differences between the ruling and opposition parties on these two issues, some view it as burdensome to put them on the table. The Democratic Party proposed participation in the National Stability Council to the ruling party for government recovery, but the ruling party rejected this, stating they would resolve matters through independent party-government consultations. Regarding the appointment of Constitutional Court justices, the People Power Party holds the position that Acting President and Prime Minister Han Deok-soo does not have the authority to appoint justices, whereas the Democratic Party argues that the three nominees recommended by the National Assembly are merely approved by the Acting President through signing the appointment documents, so there is no problem with the appointments.

Therefore, at this introductory meeting, it is highly likely that the ruling and opposition party leaders will only confirm their differences without reaching a solution. The day before, Acting Leader Kwon and Democratic Party Floor Leader Park Chan-dae met under the chairmanship of the National Assembly Speaker, but the two engaged in a sharp confrontation. Floor Leader Park targeted the People Power Party, calling it "a party that sympathized with the leader of a rebellion," to which Acting Leader Kwon responded, "That is impolite," and accused the Democratic Party of abusing the National Assembly's legislative power to cover up Leader Lee Jae-myung's criminal facts, touching on Lee's judicial risks, leading to a heated exchange.

The Democratic Party has made it clear that this meeting between Acting Leader Kwon and Leader Lee is not a formal meeting or summit. They cautioned against overinterpretation, stating that it is part of Acting Leader Kwon's schedule to meet with party leaders as a courtesy after assuming office.