Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, proposed a meeting to discuss current political issues with Han Duck-soo, the acting Prime Minister. However, Han has not responded at all to Lee's outreach.

Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, is making a statement at the Supreme Council meeting held in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Dec. 31./Courtesy of News1

Min Joon-su, the Spokesperson for the Democratic Party, held a briefing at the National Assembly communication room on the afternoon of the 31st and noted, "The leader has suggested a meeting with the acting Prime Minister several times since the morning, but there has been no reply up to now."

According to the Democratic Party, the leader made two phone calls and sent one text message to the acting Prime Minister around 10 a.m. that day. Lee Hae-sik, the chief of staff for the party leader, contacted Bang Gi-seon, the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, and Son Young-taek, the chief of staff for the Prime Minister's Office. However, it is reported that none were reachable.

The Spokesperson said, "Only one person from the Prime Minister's aide managed to talk, but they only said they would relay the message, and there has yet to be a reply," and questioned, "Is it reasonable for an acting president in a national crisis to leave the leader of the first opposition party without any response to sincere calls and messages up to now?"

The Democratic Party could move to impeach Han if he does not appoint Ma Eun-hyeok as a constitutional judge by the 1st of next month. Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, warned at a press briefing the day before that, "If the candidate is not appointed by April 1, the Democratic Party will make a serious decision."

However, if a meeting with the leader is successful, there is also a possibility of moderating the level of criticism against Han. The Spokesperson said, "If the meeting with the acting Prime Minister is successful, the Democratic Party leader has repeatedly requested a meeting with the acting president, which suggests he wants to discuss various political issues," adding that there is a possibility of a change in the final deadline.