President Lee Jaemyung and Democratic Party Leadership Hold Dinner on the 19th
Jeong Cheongrae's "Pro-Blue House" Remark Makes Lee Burst into Laughter
President Lee Jaemyung emphasized unity between the party and the Blue House during a dinner with the Democratic Party leadership, making a lighthearted joke about the pro-Lee (pro-Lee Jaemyung) and pro-Jeong (pro-Jeong Cheongrae) factions within the party.
On the 19th, Park Suhyeon, Chief Spokesperson of the Democratic Party, stated in a written briefing, "President Lee jokingly asked Representative Jeong Cheongrae, who was seated next to him, 'Are you by any chance anti-Lee?' To this, Representative Jeong replied, 'We are all pro-Lee and pro-Blue House,' which made the President burst into laughter."
As the rivalry between the pro-Lee and pro-Jeong factions continued, from the recent by-election for the Supreme Council to the push for a one-member, one-vote system for party members, President Lee directly addressed the issue, underlining that the party and the Blue House are united as one.
On this day, Representative Jeong also expressed his respect for President Lee and pledged to run the party centered around the Lee Jaemyung administration. According to the written briefing, Representative Jeong said, "President Lee is someone I am deeply grateful to, both nationally and personally. During Lee Jaemyung's tenure as party leader, we endured hardships together under the oppression of Yoon Sukyeol's dictatorship, and even while facing tough investigations and trials, he never neglected his duties as leader. Thinking about this, I realize how much I fall short as a leader."
Representative Jeong further stated, "I am always determined to work even harder for the success of the Lee Jaemyung administration. As we are still in a period of grave challenges on a different level, I will do my best to unite the party around the President and fulfill our role in building a great Republic of Korea."
Floor Leader Han Byungdo mentioned that the legislative passage rate in the 22nd National Assembly was 20.2%, the lowest compared to the 20th (29.2%) and 21st (24.5%) National Assemblies. He said, "There are 184 legislative bills related to the Lee Jaemyung administration's policy agenda that need to be expedited, but only 37 have passed so far. We will mobilize all our resources to focus on passing these bills and strongly support the administration's policy objectives."
Supreme Council Member Park Jiweon reportedly offered a toast with Gyeongju Beopju, chanting the slogan "Party sovereignty! People’s sovereignty!"
The dinner took place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:40 p.m. President Lee reportedly said, "I wanted to meet the fully formed Democratic Party leadership after the election of the Supreme Council members. I have always hoped to meet you frequently on various occasions, and especially this time, I requested an early meeting to mark the formation of the new leadership."
Attendees included Representative Jeong, Floor Leader Han, Supreme Council Members Lee Eonju, Hwang Myungseon, Kang Deukgu, Moon Jeongbok, Lee Seongyun, Seo Samseok, Park Jiweon, Policy Committee Chairperson Han Jeongae, Secretary-General Cho Seungrae, and Chief Spokesperson Park. The dinner featured octopus tataki salad, flatfish and tuna sashimi, grilled soy-marinated yellowtail, fried oysters, multigrain rice, and clear codfish soup.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
