[Breaking] President Lee Orders Immediate Meeting with People Power Party Leader Jang Dong Hyuk Upon Return

President Lee Jae Myung and First Lady Kim Hye Kyung are arriving at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 28th after completing their visit schedules to Japan and the United States, and are leaving the airport. Photo by Yonhap News

After returning from his overseas trip, President Lee Jae Myung on the 28th instructed his staff to immediately arrange a meeting with Jang Dong Hyuk, the newly elected leader of the People Power Party.

According to Kang Yoo Jung, spokesperson for the presidential office, President Lee issued this directive to Woo Sang Ho, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, right after arriving in Seoul following his return to Korea through Seongnam Airport at around 1:30 a.m. that day.

Senior Secretary Woo had visited Leader Jang at the National Assembly the previous day and stated, "The President asked me to convey his invitation to Leader Jang, saying that if the opportunity arises, he would like to invite him on an appropriate day after returning from his overseas meetings to share the outcomes of the summit talks."

Woo further emphasized, "The President places great importance on dialogue with the opposition party, and he intends to cooperate on matters where collaboration is possible. The government is also willing to do its part to support such cooperative governance."

Leader Jang, however, did not immediately accept the invitation, stating, "When the opposition party leader meets the President, it is important that the concerns of the opposition are genuinely considered. If it is just a simple meeting, it may not hold much significance."

Meanwhile, Spokesperson Kang explained regarding the meeting between President Lee and Leader Jang, "The term 'Yeongsu Meeting' was used in the past under an authoritarian political culture. Now, we refer to it as a meeting between the President and the leadership of both ruling and opposition parties." She added, "Therefore, it is not appropriate to describe this as an instruction to pursue a 'Yeongsu Meeting.'"