Rival party heads agree on consultative body for livelihood issues

However, they failed to reach an agreement on the special counsel probe into the death of a young Marine.

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, left, and People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon shake hands ahead of their official talks held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

The leaders of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) and the liberal Democratic Party (DP) agreed to establish a consultative body to address the country's livelihood issues and jointly develop responses to the ongoing medical crisis during their first official talks on Sunday.

However, they failed to reach an agreement on the special counsel probe into the death of a young Marine.

“There were discussions and debates on the special counsel probe into the death of a Marine corporal during the talks, but unfortunately, the two parties failed to reach an agreement after hearing each other's positions on the bill,” DP chief spokesperson Cho Seung-rae said during a press briefing held after the talks at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul.

The bill mandating a special counsel probe into the death of a young Marine corporal who drowned during a flood rescue operation last year — vetoed by the president in July — was one of the key agenda items for the two leaders to discuss.

During their closed-door meeting, which lasted over two hours, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and DP leader Lee Jae-myung agreed to establish a consultative body to promote both parties’ shared commitments to livelihood issues, as suggested by the DP’s Lee, according to a joint statement released by the senior spokespersons of each party.

The two parties also agreed to push the government to make every effort to establish an emergency medical system during the upcoming Chuseok harvest festival holiday in light of the country's ongoing medical crisis and for the National Assembly to develop measures to address the issue.

“The two parties acknowledged that no further discussions could be held regarding the increase in the medical school enrollment quota for 2025,” PPP chief spokesperson Kwak Kyu-tae said.

The two leaders also discussed the government’s proposal to scrap the financial investment income tax, which is set to be implemented next year. However, they did not reach an agreement during the talks and instead decided to comprehensively review ways to address the structural problems in the country’s stock market.

Han and Lee also agreed to actively review the re-introduction of district-level party organizations to revive party politics.

Additionally, they agreed to further discussions of measures to expand electric grids for national organizations as well as the development of the AI and semiconductor industries. Support measures for households and small merchants to alleviate debt burdens will also be drawn together. The two parties will collaborate to enact legislation for expanding parental leave and to introduce measures to punish, prevent and restrict crimes related to deepfake content.

Sunday's meeting marked the first official talks between the heads of the country’s two major parties in about 11 years. The encounter also came a day ahead of the commencement of the 22nd National Assembly.

During their opening remarks before the closed-door meeting, Han suggested holding regular talks between the two parties.

“I believe that this meeting could mark the beginning of productive and practical politics that would help bridge the gap between the two parties,” Han said.

PPP spokesperson Kwak emphasized that both leaders approached the meeting "seriously" and engaged in "honest" discussions while acknowledging that not everything could be agreed upon, given that it was their first meeting in many years.

Following the talks, the presidential office welcomed the meeting between the leaders of the two major parties, expressing hope that it could "help normalize the National Assembly."

"The upcoming regular session of the National Assembly should be the first step toward livelihood-focused politics, as promised by the leaders of the two parties before the public," a presidential official said, adding that the parliament should “fast-track bills on livelihood matters” that both parties generally agree on.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]