President Lee Jae-myung will have lunch with Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok at the Blue House on the 12th.
According to the political sphere on the 11th, the president plans to have lunch with the two party leaders at the Blue House on the 12th and exchange views on various pending issues. It has been about five months since the president, Jung, and Jang last met together on Sept. 8 last year.
Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik held a briefing at the Blue House that day and said, "This meeting is to discuss bipartisan cooperation measures for restoring livelihoods and stabilizing state affairs," adding, "Without setting a fixed agenda, there will be a candid exchange of opinions on overall state affairs."
Kang said, "The president is expected to call for responsible cooperation from the ruling party and the main opposition to create changes the public can feel," adding, "The Blue House will, through continued communication with both the ruling and opposition parties, open the path to Korea's great leap forward together with the people, based on unity and trust."
However, he drew a line at the possibility of a one-on-one summit between the president and Jang. Kang said, "For now, communication between the two parties is more important," adding, "Regarding legislation, the ruling and opposition parties will make decisions based on sufficient dialogue, and the government will respect and follow the National Assembly's decisions. I hope that, after hearing from the ruling and opposition leaders tomorrow, new cooperative governance will emerge."
The president invited the ruling and opposition leadership to the Blue House for lunch on Jan. 16, but the People Power Party leadership did not attend at the time. With Jang recently proposing a summit to the president, it appears the meeting between the president and the two party leaders has come together.