President Lee: "I will meet with the opposition constantly and frequently... Special Inspector appointment as well"

On the 3rd, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "Opposition party lawmakers are also representatives chosen by the people," and added, "There is no reason not to meet them; I intend to meet them constantly and frequently." He also announced the appointment of a Special Inspector to preemptively prevent corruption among the president’s relatives.

Marking his 30th day in office, President Lee held his first press conference at the Blue House State Guest House, saying, "Building walls or drawing lines to block the possibility of dialogue is not a very good approach." He reaffirmed his commitment to bipartisan cooperation since taking office. On this day as well, President Lee wore a blue tie with red stripes symbolic of 'interparty unity.'

When asked if he was considering making summit meetings with party leaders a regular practice, President Lee replied, "I will consider it," but also said, "Basically, I think it is necessary and will do so if needed." He added, "If my remarks are taken out of context and used as an attack, it makes future meetings difficult. I hope meetings can be held more often while respecting these aspects." Eighteen days after his inauguration, President Lee previously held a luncheon with the ruling and opposition leadership at the presidential residence.

Regarding recent polls showing his approval rating in the 60% range, President Lee commented, "I don't think that's a particularly high number." He continued, "Still, over 30% say I'm doing a very poor job—this could be a misunderstanding, my own shortcomings, or a task I need to address. I will try harder, with more humility, to earn the public’s recognition."

Concerning governance with a ruling party minority, President Lee emphasized, "This is the choice of the people," and added, "If the National Assembly becomes dominated by the opposition, there is little that can actually get done." However, reflecting concerns about excessive concentration of power in the government and ruling party, President Lee explained that he ordered the appointment of a Special Inspector to monitor the president’s relatives and related persons. In response, the opposition People Power Party welcomed the move in an official statement.

After the press conference, President Lee had lunch with the acting leaders of five minor parties not in bargaining groups, including Kim Seon-min (acting leader of the Homeland Innovation Party) and Cheon Ha-ram (acting leader and floor leader of the Reform New Party). According to Woo Sang-ho, Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs, some participants expressed the need for pardons and reinstatement of political figures including former Homeland Innovation Party leader Cho Kuk and members of the Cargo Solidarity union. President Lee reportedly refrained from giving a direct answer regarding this.

Reporter Jeong Sang-won top1@hankyung.com