Planned meeting between president, party leaders canceled abruptly after opposition boycott

Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, speaks during a press briefing at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

A scheduled luncheon between President Lee Jae Myung and leaders of the country's main parties was canceled Thursday, after main opposition People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok announced about an hour before the meeting that he would not attend.

The abrupt cancellation of the meeting, which would have been the first of its kind among the three leaders in nearly five months, is likely to worsen bipartisan conflicts over contentious issues.

Jang said he was boycotting the luncheon in protest of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea’s (DPK) unilateral passage of two controversial judicial reform bills at the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee the previous evening. The PPP has been a vocal opponent of the measures — one amending the Court Organization Act to expand the number of Supreme Court justices and the other revising the Constitutional Court Act to allow constitutional challenges to court rulings.

Jang accused the ruling party of undermining the spirit of cooperation through what he described as a political ambush.

“I intended to attend the luncheon in the spirit of bipartisan cooperation,” Jang said during a press conference at the National Assembly. “But immediately after proposing the meeting, the DPK unilaterally pushed through bills that even the chief justice of the Supreme Court has expressed serious concerns about.”

Main opposition People Power Party leader Rep. Jang Dong-hyeok speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, outlining his position regarding his decision not to attend a luncheon with President Lee Jae Myung. Yonhap

He added, “One cannot accept a handshake offered with one hand while concealing a knife in the other."

Jang also questioned whether the presidential office had been aware of the legislative move, saying that if it had not, DPK leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae would effectively be acting as an internal saboteur against the president.

'Deep regret'

The presidential office expressed “deep regret” over the cancellation.

Hong Ihk-pyo, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, said at a briefing that linking the luncheon to the legislative developments was “highly inappropriate.”

Hong said the meeting had been meant to facilitate communication and cooperation on key state affairs.

“It is deeply regrettable that an opportunity to uphold that spirit has been lost," Hong said.

He emphasized that matters related to Assembly proceedings and committee operations are handled independently by the ruling party, and that the presidential office had no involvement in the passage of the disputed bills.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said the previous day that the luncheon would provide an opportunity for an open exchange of views on a wide range of national issues, including the economy and political stability, with no restrictions on the agenda.

Ruling Democratic Party of Korea leader Rep. Jung Chung-rae, center, speaks at the launch ceremony of the youth future council at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

DPK criticizes boycott

The DPK criticized Jang’s boycott as disrespectful to the public and to the president.

Jung, the party leader, wrote on Facebook that the luncheon had collapsed due to the PPP’s “rudeness,” adding, “You requested the meeting and then broke it off yourself. What are you doing?”

Senior party spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said the cancellation dashed hopes of delivering a message of unity and hope to the public ahead of the Lunar New Year.

The cancellation raised concerns that bipartisan tensions could further delay the passage of key livelihood-related bills. Bipartisan cooperation on pressing issues — including tariff negotiations under a special U.S. investment law, regional administrative integration, real estate policy and other economic legislation — is now expected to become even more difficult.

The Supreme Court building in southern Seoul's Seocho District, Thursday / Yonhap

Judicial reform bills

At the center of the dispute are two contentious bills.

The amendment to the Court Organization Act seeks to increase the number of Supreme Court justices from 14 to 26, potentially enabling a president to appoint up to 22 justices during a single term if vacancies arise.

The proposed revision to the Constitutional Court Act would allow constitutional complaints against final court rulings, effectively permitting challenges to Supreme Court decisions at the Constitutional Court, a move critics say amounts to introducing a de facto fourth trial level.

Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae voiced concerns, warning that the changes could cause “enormous harm” to the public and disrupt the constitutional order. He stressed the need for broad public discussion and careful deliberation.

“If an institution other than a court effectively retries cases after a Supreme Court ruling, it raises serious constitutional concerns,” the National Court Administration said in its report to the Assembly earlier this week.