Rival parties, president overcome acrimony to form new consultative body for economic recovery
Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 19:26
Updated: 08 Sep. 2025, 19:30
![President Lee Jae Myung, center, looks on as Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, left, and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok shake hands during a luncheon at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/08/7c67b2c6-1a19-4c75-a621-5ec03c1e5846.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, center, looks on as Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, left, and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok shake hands during a luncheon at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of the liberal Democratic Party (DP) and the conservative People Power Party (PPP) agreed on Monday to form a new consultative body to coordinate on economic recovery and policies that support livelihoods.
DP leader Jung Chung-rae and PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok made the agreement at a luncheon with President Lee at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul. The president’s mediation prompted the rival parties to shake hands after weeks of refusing even that gesture, opening the door to cooperation but leaving core disputes unresolved.
The initiative, tentatively named the “People’s Livelihood Economic Council,” will be designed to produce tangible results, according to spokespeople from both parties.
“It must not be a mere formality but a council that can deliver results,” said Park Sung-hoon, PPP senior spokesperson. Both parties stated that Jang had initially proposed the council, and Lee and Jung subsequently accepted the idea.
The ruling and opposition blocs plan to finalize the council’s scope after internal working-level talks, focusing on shared campaign pledges related to livelihoods.
“If the parties produce results together, the opposition gains achievements and the ruling party ensures the success of state affairs," Lee said at the meeting, according to the two parties. Jung responded that the council should also take up issues such as corporate criminal liability reform.
The parties did not agree to make the council a regular fixture.
![People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, right, speaks at a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, not pictured in this photo, at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/08/3d2c06d0-0356-4814-a598-57040fc36aff.jpg)
People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, right, speaks at a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, not pictured in this photo, at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
'Democracy dies when checks and balances collapse'
Lee and Jang also agreed that party leaders could meet bilaterally with the president when necessary.
“When the time comes for ruling and opposition leaders to face each other and resolve urgent issues, we will propose [such talks] at any time,” PPP spokesperson Park told reporters after the briefing.
The luncheon, which began at noon, lasted 80 minutes — longer than the scheduled hour. Instead of erupting into confrontation as some had expected, the meeting centered on what participants referred to as the “restoration of politics.”
Jang urged Lee to act as a stabilizing figure. “Please be the president who ends politics where one must destroy the other to survive. When checks and balances collapse, democracy dies. The president must serve as the counterweight,” he said.
Jung added that he hoped the meeting would lead to constructive dialogue.
Lee replied, “Rep. Jung, since you, as the ruling party, have more [seats], I hope you will share more. I will do my best to hear as many voices from the people through the opposition.”
Before lunch, the two party leaders shook hands for the first time since their elections last month. They later joined Lee in a three-way handshake captured by photographers.
![Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, left, smiles at a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung, right, and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, not pictured in this photo, at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/08/d2fc73ba-1fea-4af1-88e5-267729d8bf9c.jpg)
Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, left, smiles at a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung, right, and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, not pictured in this photo, at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Sept. 8. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Mixed reactions, unresolved disputes
Both parties described the event positively. “It was very natural and well-coordinated,” said Park Soo-hyun, the DP’s senior spokesperson. PPP spokesperson Park Sung-hoon agreed, calling “political restoration” the theme of the day.
But significant disagreements remained. Jang criticized the ruling party’s unilateral handling of the Commercial Act and the pro-labor "Yellow Envelope Bill," the recent mass arrest of Korean nationals by U.S. authorities, and ongoing special investigations targeting the opposition. He described the president’s first 100 days as a period of “increased uncertainty and insecurity.”
“At least when it comes to insurrection and treason, we must rule with zero tolerance," Jung countered. "There can be no divide between ruling and opposition in ending insurrection,” he said, referring to former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition on Dec. 3, 2024.
Private meeting with Lee
After lunch, Jang met separately with Lee for 30 minutes and raised additional concerns, including the nomination of Choi Kyo-jin for Education Minister, DP lawmakers’ attempt to view CCTV footage from the arrest of Yoon, and the special counsel’s call for an extended investigation into insurrection charges.
He also questioned government restructuring bills led by the ruling party, such as the proposal to dismantle the prosecution service, according to PPP spokesperson Park.
Jang told Lee that only the president could halt the cycle of what he called "politically motivated probes" regarding Yoon's investigation.
Lee replied, “Politics must not turn into a war of all against all. I worry about the judicialization of politics.”
However, he avoided giving a direct answer to calls for him to exercise his veto on proposals such as establishing a special tribunal for insurrection and revising the three special counsel laws.
“The launch of the consultative body marks the first step toward cooperation,” said Lee Hyun-woo, professor of political science and international relations at Sogang University. “But since neither the ruling party nor the president accepted the opposition’s demands on the special counsel issue, the political landscape ahead looks thorny.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM GYU-TAE,YANG SU-MIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)