Inter-party leader meeting, focus on reforming finance industry and pension reform.

Practical negotiation on selecting topics and attendees for the meeting
Negative discussion on supporting livelihood recovery funds
Criticism that “the Democratic Party aimed for a weak link in the ruling party”,

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, agreed to hold a meeting of party leaders at the National Assembly at 3 p.m. on the 25th. The photo shows Han Dong-hoon (left) and Lee Jae-myung (left) of the Democratic Party of Korea meeting at the office of the Democratic Party of Korea on December 29 last year when Han was the emergency response director for the People Power Party. [Joint Press],
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, ‘Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will hold a meeting of party leaders at 3 p.m. at the National Assembly on the 25th. This will be their first face-to-face meeting since being elected as party leaders. As specific topics and attendees for the meeting are being determined through practical negotiations, subtle temperature differences between the two sides are being detected regarding key agenda items. Unlike previously hastily arranged meetings that ended smoothly, intense negotiations are expected as the agenda at stake involves steering the lead in discussions.’,
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, ‘According to Herald Economy’s reporting on the 20th, the Democratic Party views the following as key expected agenda items for this meeting: ▷Support for livelihood recovery funds (providing 250,000 KRW to all citizens) ▷Special investigation law for the late Suh Chung-won ▷Resurrection of the Justice Party. These are all reflective of the agenda outlined in Lee’s inauguration speech following his successful reelection on the 18th. A key figure in the Democratic Party leadership stated in a phone call, “What was spoken in front of the public must be included as agenda items,” and that the meeting was publicly proposed for that purpose. On the other hand, the People Power Party is focusing on livelihood-related issues that exclude contentious elements like ▷abolishing the financial investment income tax (FIT) ▷establishing a special parliamentary committee on pensions ▷handling livelihood bills. A key figure in the People Power Party leadership said, “Resurrecting the Justice Party, which was a pledge in the general election, is not a problem,” but also mentioned that it is still premature to make judgments on other agenda items.’,
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, ‘The temperature difference between the two sides stems from the fact that the agenda of this meeting represents the leadership in negotiations. The three key issues that the Democratic Party emphasizes happen to be issues where a former leader took a progressive stance and where there are existing differences in positions between the ruling party and opposition. The late Suh Chung-won special investigation law, which includes the right to recommend a third party for a special probe, was a pledge made by Lee during his party leadership election.’,
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, ‘On the other hand, President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his right to request a review of the special measures law and opposition within the ruling party towards a special investigation law proposal prior to the announcement of the investigation results by the Anti-Corruption Investigation Office for high-ranking officials (ACIO) is dominant. There are also mixed opinions within the party regarding the resurrection of the Justice Party. The criticism that the Democratic Party deliberately sought to divide the ruling party through the ruling party’s “weak link” arises against this backdrop. Reference is also made to a precedent where the sudden agreement reached in the previous inter-party leaders’ meeting in July 2021 on “universal disaster relief funds” faced opposition from within the ruling party.’,
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, ‘A mid-level member of the People Power Party stated in a call, “Since there are various controversies on the topics, these are issues that need to be discussed and decided through communication within the parliamentary group and party.” They emphasized, “It’s not an issue for the leader to decide independently.” The side of Han Dong-hoon also maintains a cautious position. A key figure in the leadership said, “Since the issue of the right to review has not been completely resolved, it is difficult to bring out a different position regarding the support for livelihood recovery funds,” and emphasized, “Before negotiating the agenda, we will communicate with the parliamentary leadership and policy committees.”‘,
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, ‘Abolishing the FIT and establishing a parliamentary committee on pensions give Han Dong-hoon a relatively advantageous position, but it is not unfavorable to Lee Jae-myung, who has confirmed his leadership through a re-election. A figure in the ruling party remarked, “These are issues that can be accommodated on a bipartisan basis from the perspective of a compromise between ruling and opposition parties,” and assessed, “Even if they fail, they can be used as a stepping stone for the next leaders’ meeting. It’s a flower play with nothing to lose.” In reality, the Democratic Party is signaling a willingness to not limit the topics of discussion at the meeting. A source in the Democratic Party leadership said, “Due to constraints as the party leader and coordination with the presidential office, it seems that they keep trying to limit the agenda,” and added, “I hope the party leader can demonstrate their own leadership as the leader of the ruling party.” Kim Jin and Ahn Dae-yong reporting’,
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