Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Lee to host bipartisan luncheon with party leaders Thursday
President Lee Jae Myung holds hands with ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Jung Chung-rae, right, and People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok, left, before a luncheon meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, Sept. 8, 2025. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog
By Anna J. Park
Meeting marks first in-person meeting with heads of DPK, PPP in 5 months
President Lee Jae Myung will host the leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties for a luncheon at Cheong Wa Dae Thursday, seeking bipartisan cooperation to bolster economic recovery and maintain national stability ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday next week.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the plan at a briefing on Wednesday. “There will be a candid exchange of views on overall state affairs without restrictions on topics," Kang said.
The invited attendees are Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and Jang Dong-hyeok, the head of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). It will mark the first in-person meeting between the president and the ruling and opposition party leaders in about five months.
Kang said the president will call on both the ruling party and the main opposition to work together responsibly to produce results that resonate with the public.
Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik speaks during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Kang said the meeting is also intended to serve as a starting point in the new year for renewed communication and collaboration, offering hope to the public.
Asked whether a separate one-on-one meeting might be arranged with the PPP leader — who has previously called for an official summit with the president — Kang dismissed the possibility.
“At this point, communication between the two parties is more important,” he said.
Regarding a proposed merger between the DPK and the Rebuilding Korea Party led by former justice minister Cho Kuk, which has been postponed until after the June local elections, Kang said, ‘The question of a merger is for the two parties to decide. The presidential office has no separate position.”