President's luncheon with rival party chiefs called off as PPP leader protests over legislation
Published: 12 Feb. 2026, 14:06
![President Lee Jae Myung, center, holds hands with Rep. Jung Chung-rae, right, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, during their luncheon at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 8, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/12/d526c583-d956-4710-94bd-1f68c7d1a9b1.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, center, holds hands with Rep. Jung Chung-rae, right, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, and Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, during their luncheon at the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 8, 2025. [YONHAP]
President Lee Jae Myung's planned luncheon with the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties on Thursday was called off as the chief of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) decided not to attend it at the last minute.
Lee had planned to meet with Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok at the Blue House to discuss the economy and other pending issues, Hong Ik-pyo, presidential secretary for political affairs, told reporters.
Earlier in the day, Jang said he had initially accepted Lee's invitation to convey public concerns but reconsidered the offer at the request of senior party members after the judiciary committee passed controversial judicial reform bills.
"They will try to cover up the sound of the Republic of Korea's judicial system with a photo of the president shaking hands with the ruling and opposition party leaders," Jang said during a Supreme Council meeting two hours ahead of the luncheon, calling for the bills to be scrapped.
The development came a day after the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee approved bills that would allow constitutional appeals in cases finalized by the Supreme Court and increase the number of Supreme Court justices to 26 from the current 14.
The PPP has strongly opposed the DP-led judicial reform measures, framing them as moves to shield Lee's legal risks.
"After I accepted the invitation to the luncheon, the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed a bill to bring down the judicial system,” Jang said on Thursday. "More than 80 lawmakers from the ruling party even raised their hands to join a petition aimed at withdrawing the indictment in the case involving President Lee. "
![Conservative People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok drinks water during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 12. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/12/01babc82-d20e-4a05-86c7-0f517527417d.jpg)
Conservative People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok drinks water during a Supreme Council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Feb. 12. [YONHAP]
Jang added that a special bill related to “administrative integration” was pushed through the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee on Wednesday without reflecting the opposition’s views.
He also criticized President Lee’s New Year’s press conference remarks questioning why a proposed specialized trial division for “insurrection” cases would be unconstitutional.
"A similar pattern played out at a previous luncheon with party leaders, when a sweeping special counsel bill was placed on the plenary agenda the day before, prompting a filibuster and leading me to begin a hunger strike that same day," said Jang.
DP leader Jung slammed the PPP over the cancellation of a Blue House luncheon, saying he was “appalled” by what he called the party’s lack of basic courtesy toward the public and the president.
In a post on Facebook, Jung said the luncheon “fell through because of the PPP’s rudeness,” calling the situation “absurd.” He also criticized Jang for skipping the meeting after requesting talks with President Lee Jae Myung since last month, saying, “He asked for it, then he broke it. What does he think he’s doing?”
![Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, attends a hastily convened press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 22 to call for the minor Rebuilding Korea Party to merge with his party, around four months ahead of the local elections. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/12/787cb914-388d-48b1-8e65-ca5ea53a4a8c.jpg)
Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party, attends a hastily convened press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 22 to call for the minor Rebuilding Korea Party to merge with his party, around four months ahead of the local elections. [YONHAP]
The Blue House, which proposed the meeting to Jang a day earlier, also signaled displeasure.
Hong Ik-pyo, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said in a briefing that the meeting was meant to facilitate communication and cooperation on key state affairs, adding it was “regrettable” that a scheduled appointment with the president was canceled after being tied to the situation at the National Assembly.
Hong said he was “deeply disappointed” that an opportunity to uphold the spirit of dialogue and cooperation had been missed, but added that the Blue House “will not let go of the thread of dialogue” in order to improve people’s lives.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG, YONHAP [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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