South Korea Acting President's Office: "Opposition Party Meeting Request to Be Reviewed After Addressing Economic and Livelihood Issues"

Lee Jae-myung Proposed a Meeting but Received No Response
Acting President Han's Office: "U.S. Tariffs and Disaster Victims Are Top Priorities"

The office of Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated that although Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed several meetings to Acting President Han, he did not receive a response, adding that they will "prioritize addressing urgent issues before considering the request."

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is speaking at the 'Semiconductor Industry On-site Meeting' held at the SK Hynix Icheon Campus SUPEX Center on the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the 31st, the Prime Minister's Office announced to the media, "Currently, the Acting President is prioritizing national affairs such as responding to the imminent imposition of tariffs amid the trade war and directing support measures for disaster victims, many of whom are elderly citizens.

Regarding meeting requests from opposition party officials, we will first respond to these urgent issues directly related to the national economy and people's livelihoods before reviewing such requests.

Earlier, Han Min-soo, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said at a National Assembly briefing, "Leader Lee proposed several meetings to Acting President Han since this morning," but "so far, there has been no response from Acting President Han."

According to the Democratic Party, Leader Lee made two phone calls and sent one text message to Acting President Han that day. When no reply was received, Lee Hae-sik, chief secretary to the party leader, contacted Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Son Young-taek, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, via phone and text, but also failed to reach them. Although a call with Acting President Han’s aide was successful and the desire for a meeting was conveyed, no response was received.

The spokesperson said, "(Leader Lee) even conveyed the message that he 'urgently wants to meet,'" adding, "Is it reasonable that the Acting President of the country does not respond to the earnest calls and messages from the leader of the main opposition party during such a national crisis?"

Previously, Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the Democratic Party, also revealed that he proposed several meetings to Acting President Han but received no response.

On the same day, Acting President Han, without any public schedule in the morning, received internal reports and then suddenly added an afternoon schedule to visit SK Hynix’s headquarters in Icheon.