President urges leaders to put aside partisan conflict; Minor conservative whip demands president veto Yoon special counsel
President Lee Jae Myung held a lunch meeting Friday with leaders of South Korean political parties in Cheong Wa Dae, the presidential complex in Seoul, with the main opposition People Power Party's leaders opting not to attend.
Speaking before the party leaders, Lee raised the need to prioritize national interest over partisan conflict. Invited to the event were chairs and floor leaders of parties that have at least one lawmaker in the National Assembly, including the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and left-wing minor parties Rebuilding Korea Party, Progressive Party Basic Income Party and Social Democratic Party.
The right-wing minor Reform Party's Floor Leader Rep. Chun Ha-ram also attended after his 19-hour filibuster against a special counsel bill to further investigate former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Considering the gravity of safeguarding national interest and the international standing of South Korea in the face of external uncertainties, the political parties "should work together as much as possible in terms of our foreign relations," said Lee, who has traveled to China and Japan already this month.
"I would like to tell leaders of opposition parties that we should join forces to a greater extent over matters related to foreign relations, national security and diplomacy," the liberal president said.
Lee also asked the political party leaders to gather strength to achieve the rebalancing of national growth.
According to Lee Kyu-youn, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, Lee also called for bipartisanship in dealing with matters essential to people's living standards, such as the aftermath of a massive personal data leak from e-commerce giant Coupang, court-backed rehabilitation procedures of hypermarket operator Homeplus and layoffs at a subcontractor of General Motors Korea.
After Chun asked the president to veto the special counsel bill regarding Yoon, who ignited a massive political crisis due to his ultimately brief martial law imposition in December 2024, the president did not immediately respond, according to the presidential aide. Chun argued that Yoon's crimes remaining unresolved after the previous 180-day special counsel operations could be handled in the ongoing police probe.
Leaders of the People Power Party — Chair Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok and Floor Leader Rep. Song Eon-seog — did not attend the lunch meeting.
Since Thursday, Jang has been on a hunger strike inside the National Assembly main building. Song, who also declined to accept Lee's invitation, proposed to instead hold a one-on-one meeting between the liberal president and the opposition leader.
Reform Party Chair Rep. Lee Jun-seok was also absent due to official duty overseas.
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