President Lee Jae-myung invited Democratic Party of Korea leader Jeong Cheong-rae and affiliated lawmakers to the Blue House guesthouse for lunch on the 29th, saying, "The role of the National Assembly is truly important," and expressed his belief that "the National Assembly will carry out the reform tasks well." In response, Leader Jeong stated, "The party and government will work together as a united community to achieve results and support the success of the Lee Jae-myung government."
This lunch was arranged right after President Lee concluded a 3-night, 6-day summit schedule with Japan and the United States, and the Democratic Party wrapped up a 1-night, 2-day workshop for lawmakers.
During the lunch, President Lee noted, "I am carrying out my duties with the heavy responsibility that my words affect the lives of tens of millions of people," and urged lawmakers to recognize that "this is a turning point in history and that each of your responsibilities is significant." He continued, "It is very important to listen to the voices of the people, even their small grievances, and communicate, even if we cannot respond to all of those voices," and requested, "Please meet with many citizens as you travel through your constituencies."
President Lee also added, "For me, the evaluation of the day my term ends is the most important. I want to show results rather than just talk a lot. I plan to manage the government in a way where action and results come before words," and expressed hope that "the National Assembly will do the same."
Leader Jeong, in his opening remarks, highly evaluated the president's diplomatic achievements, stating, "The goal of this regular National Assembly session is to tighten the reins on people's welfare reforms and to ensure that we complete the historic reform tasks mandated by the people," adding that he would pass legislation that would bring changes to daily life, wiping away the tears of the people. He emphasized, "As a united community, the party and government will work together to achieve the results that the people desire and support the success of the Lee Jae-myung government."
The background of President Lee's repeated requests for the role of the National Assembly appears to stem from the understanding that the ruling party must proactively coordinate and deliver results on sensitive issues, including reforms in the prosecution, judiciary, and media, as well as amendments to capital market laws, which are pending in the regular National Assembly. Although the president did not directly mention the opposition party, interpretations suggest that there was a message of cooperation. Park Soo-hyun, the chief spokesperson for the president's office, stated, "I believe the president's comments include both the ruling and opposition parties. It should also be understood that he requested cooperation in ensuring good relations between the parties."
At the lunch, more than 150 Democratic Party lawmakers attended, including Leader Jeong Cheong-rae and floor leader Kim Byeong-gi, except for appointed lawmakers. Prior to the lunch, the atmosphere was reportedly cheerful as individual photos were taken between the president and lawmakers. The menu for the day included mixed grain rice and cabbage soup.