Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Moon to seek Assembly's help with crucial tasks
President Moon Jae-in, right, shares a warm moment with outgoing National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang ahead of a dinner at the latter's residence, May 21. President Moon is eager to seek cooperation from the incoming Assembly with a range of urgent tasks ahead, and has invited the floor leaders of two major parties to a lunch at Cheong Wa Dae this week. Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
By Do Je-hae
President Moon Jae-in will step up cooperation with the new National Assembly to pursue some of the crucial tasks in tackling socioeconomic challenges for the post-COVID-19 period.
In this regard, the President has invited the new floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) ― the DPK's Kim Tae-nyeon and UFP's Joo Ho-young ― to a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday, the presidential office said Sunday.
“We hope the meeting will enable frank discussions between the President and the floor leaders of the two largest parties on a range of state affairs, including responses to the unemployment and industrial crises,” Kang Ki-jung, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said during a briefing, Sunday.
It is the first time for the President to meet only with the leaders of the two largest parties. He previously met with the floor leaders of the five major and minor parties in the 20th National Assembly to discuss cooperation for dealing with the trade row with Japan in July 2019, producing a joint statement.
The rare meeting with only the floor leaders of the two major parties is seen to reflect the President's determination for close communication with the next Assembly to deal with urgent issues, such as the third extra budget bill that will be fielded in the wake of the economic crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cheong Wa Dae and the ruling party have underlined the importance of a timely extra budget to ease the job crisis, revive the economy and help small businesses and the self-employed in the wake of COVID-19.
“The opening of the 21st Assembly has a special meaning as we are undergoing a national crisis,” a presidential aide said. “During the meeting with the floor leaders, the President will also discuss ways to establish a consultative body with the parties in order to institutionalize cooperative politics.”
Moon is also preparing to deliver a speech at the National Assembly early next month to mark the opening of the 21st Assembly, where he is expected to seek bipartisan cooperation for overcoming the national crisis brought on by the global health challenge.
The President's push for cooperative politics is seen as a timely move, amid rising concerns over unilateral management of state affairs with the ruling party controlling 177 seats out of the 300-member Assembly.
Besides the third extra budget, the President is also expected to seek the Assembly's attention in preparing a response to a possible second wave of the pandemic, particularly reorganization of the government to establish a separate agency for dealing with epidemics.
In a speech earlier this month to mark the third anniversary of his inauguration, Moon said the government would make the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an independent body from the health ministry and raise its status to that of an administration.