President Lee Jae-myung met with Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae and floor leader Kim Byung-kee on the 9th and said, "It would be good if reform legislation is handled reasonably to meet the public's expectations." With subtle differences emerging between the party and the administration over the speed and direction of the ruling camp's judicial reform plan, the president's remarks are seen as a message to coordinate.
The president held a dinner meeting with the party leader and the floor leader for two hours and 30 minutes that day. The meeting was arranged to mark the close of the regular National Assembly session.
Explaining the results of his overseas trip, the president said, "Korea's standing has risen a lot," and expressed gratitude to the ruling party leadership, saying, "You worked hard to reach an agreement on the budget bill." He then called for a cautious approach to the recently controversial judicial reform plan and reform legislation overall, saying, "Reform legislation should be handled reasonably to meet the public's expectations."
Park Soo-hyun, chief spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "We had many discussions about state affairs overall, especially about people's livelihoods."
This meeting was the first official dinner between the president and the ruling party leadership in 111 days since Aug. 20. With the presidential office and the ruling party showing different stances recently on several justice-related bills, it is seen as a move to restore party-government relations and strengthen policy coordination.
Earlier, the Democratic Party of Korea pushed a "trial suspension bill" to halt the trial of a sitting president, but tension between the party and the administration was sensed when Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik publicly opposed it, saying, "Do not drag the president into the center of political strife."
At a Cabinet meeting that day, the president also emphasized, "Already one-tenth of the term has passed," and, "We must pick up the pace so the public can feel the results of our policy tasks."