President Lee Jae-myung invited the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties to lunch for the first time since his inauguration. The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party are expected to coordinate their schedules to attend the presidential lunch. They urged for the swift handling of the supplementary budget to be submitted at the cabinet meeting on the 19th.
Kim Byeong-gi, acting leader of the Democratic Party of Korea and floor leader, met with Kang Hoon, chief of the presidential secretary's office, and Woo Sang-ho, senior secretary for political affairs at the presidential office, on the afternoon of the 17th at the National Assembly. After the meeting, he told reporters, "President Lee invited the floor leaders of both parties to lunch for political recovery," adding, "The timing is a matter to be coordinated with the People Power Party and is undecided."
Chief Secretary Kang and Senior Secretary Woo visited the National Assembly on the 13th to meet with acting leader Kim, who was elected as floor leader. Chief Secretary Kang congratulated Acting Leader Kim with a flower arrangement and together they shouted, "Kim Byeong-gi, fighting!"
Chief Secretary Kang noted, "I believe that the significance of electing the Democratic Party's floor leader is a cheer for working diligently for the people alongside the president and the government," and added, "Since I trust that you possess the stability and determination to lead dialogue and negotiations, I believe you will communicate with the opposition parties as well."
Acting Leader Kim also stated, "Now is the time to achieve the tasks of restoring livelihoods, rebuilding the economy, and national unity," and noted, "When the ruling party, government, and the party and the presidential office work closely together, governance remains stable and the public feels hope."
The schedule for President Lee's lunch with the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties has not yet been determined. Floor spokesperson Kim Hyun-jeong stated, "Regarding the lunch with the floor leaders, the schedule needs to be discussed, but the attendance at the NATO meeting is undecided, and if he attends, it will be after that."
Floor Leader Song Eon-seok of the People Power Party also expressed a positive stance towards President Lee's lunch proposal. He said, "Chief Secretary Kang conveyed his desire for a gathering where the leadership of both parties can have a meal together, and I said it was a good idea," adding, "Communication among the leadership at the National Assembly is fundamental for cooperation and the way for the people."
President Lee urged the rapid processing of the supplementary budget at the National Assembly. Floor spokesperson Kim Hyun-jeong stated, "There was a mention to cooperate so that the supplementary budget can be swiftly processed once it is approved at the cabinet meeting on the 19th," and added, "The government and the ruling party have been conducting practical consultations on the supplementary budget. It will proceed before the cabinet's approval, and there are no official meetings for discussions planned."
Floor Leader Song Eon-seok mentioned regarding the composition of the National Assembly necessary for processing the supplementary budget, "(I met with Acting Leader Kim Byeong-gi) as a precaution, so I could not discuss specifics," and continued, "I agreed that communication among the leadership is necessary and that we should meet frequently."