President to meet rival party leaders in effort to bridge political divide

President Lee Jae Myung listens to a participant during a bio-innovation forum held at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, Friday. Yonhap

President Lee Jae Myung will host a luncheon with Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) leader Rep. Jung Cheong-rae and People Power Party (PPP) leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyuk at the Yongsan presidential office on Monday, according to presidential aides on Friday.

Kim Byung-wook, the senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said the meeting would be conducted freely, without a fixed agenda.

“This gathering is intended as an opportunity for a candid discussion on state affairs,” he said. “We hope it will strengthen cooperation and communication between the government and the opposition.”

Along with the party leaders, spokespersons and chiefs of staff from both sides will attend. From the presidential office, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Woo Sang-ho will be present. Kim said a separate one-on-one meeting between the president and Jang is scheduled to follow the luncheon.

The meeting will be Lee’s first one-on-one with the leader of the main opposition party since taking office, following his June 22 luncheon with then–DPK acting leader Rep. Kim Byung-kee and PPP emergency committee chairman Rep. Kim Yong-tae.

The luncheon comes just 13 days after Jang’s election as party leader. Earlier, he said he would attend only if a separate one-on-one meeting was promised, and the format reflects that arrangement, according to Kim. After Jang’s election, Woo delivered congratulatory flowers on behalf of the president and extended a meeting invite.