President Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea visited the National Assembly on the 26th to meet again with the ruling and opposition party leadership ahead of his second supplementary budget address this year.
On this day at 10 a.m., President Lee held a closed-door meeting with key officials before presenting his government address on the first supplementary budget since taking office. Attendees included Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik, acting party leader and floor leader Kim Byeong-ki, and People Power Party emergency response committee chairman Kim Yong-tae.
At this meeting, Chairperson Kim reportedly requested the withdrawal of the nomination of Prime Minister candidate Kim Min-seok, to which President Lee did not respond.
After the plenary session, Chairperson Kim met with reporters and said, "There have been several allegations regarding the candidate that have not been clearly explained," and added, "I requested the withdrawal of the nomination, but President Lee had no special comments."
He continued, "A presidential office official said, 'Please consider that the president's approval rating is over 50%.'" In response, Chairperson Kim criticized, "If the approval rating exceeds 50%, it could be interpreted as a signal to nominate an unverified person as prime minister. It was a baffling statement." He added, "There needs to be a personnel system that aligns with public common sense."
Chairperson Kim also conveyed concerns about trade issues with the United States and the supplementary budget to President Lee. He stated, "The tariff agreement with the U.S. is crucial. Even if Korea and the United States are subject to the same tariff agreement, the impact on Hyundai Motor is significant," and he requested practical measures to protect Korean industry.
Regarding the supplementary budget, it has been reported that he conveyed concerns that "the issuance of local government bonds by local governments burdens national debt."
This marks President Lee's third meeting with opposition party leaders since taking office. He discussed state affairs and urged cooperation from the opposition during a lunch meeting on the 4th, his first day in office, and again on the 22nd.