President Lee and Party Leaders Agree to Form Council on People's Livelihoods and Economy... Working-Level Discussions Planned

Jang Dong-hyuk Responds to "Themed Council" Proposal... President Lee States "Opposition Party's Success, Ruling Party's Governance Success"

President Lee Jae-myung, Meeting with Ruling and Opposition Party Leaders (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sang-gyun = President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo with attendees of a luncheon meeting with ruling and opposition party leaders at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 8th. From the left are Park Joon-tae, Chief Secretary to the People Power Party leader, Park Sung-hoon, Senior Spokesperson, Jang Dong-hyuk, Leader, President Lee, Chung Cheong-rae, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Han Min-soo, Chief Secretary to the Democratic Party leader, and Park Soo-hyun, Senior Spokesperson. 2025.9.8 [Presidential Office Communications Photographers] xyz@yna.co.kr

The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party announced on the 8th that they have agreed to form a council on people's livelihoods and the economy.

Park Soo-hyun, Senior Spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, and Park Sung-hoon, Senior Spokesperson for the People Power Party, announced at a joint press conference held at the National Assembly that the party leaders reached this agreement during a luncheon hosted by President Lee Jae-myung for the ruling and opposition party leaders.

Park Sung-hoon stated, "We agreed that it should not be a mere formality but a themed council capable of producing substantial results, and each party will proceed with working-level discussions regarding its detailed composition."

"The formation of this council on people's livelihoods was proposed by Leader Jang Dong-hyuk and was realized through the enthusiastic response and acceptance from Leader Chung Cheong-rae and President Lee," he explained.

In this regard, President Lee was known to have said, "Since the ruling party has more, it would be good for the ruling party to yield more rather than the opposition. Especially if the opposition party proposes first, focusing on common pledges between the ruling and opposition parties, and the ruling party responds to create results together, wouldn't it be a success for the opposition party and a success in governance for the ruling party?"

President Lee also said, "For a politics of harmony and coexistence, I will actively consider and have time for communication when the opposition party leader requests it," according to Senior Spokesperson Park.

It is reported that "political restoration" was the main topic of discussion during the private one-on-one meeting between Leader Jang and President Lee, which lasted for 30 minutes from 1:20 PM.

Leader Jang proposed specific livelihood policies such as groundbreaking youth employment measures, an upward adjustment of the major shareholder standard for stock transfer tax, and revitalization of the regional construction economy. In response, President Lee stated, "I will positively consider it after consulting with the relevant ministries."