Seoul – In a significant development within South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP), current leader Lee Jae-myung announced he will hold a meeting with former leader Lee Nak-yon on Saturday. This meeting comes in the wake of Lee Nak-yon's public call for Lee Jae-myung's resignation.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting is set to take place at a private restaurant in central Seoul at 10 a.m. The focus of the discussion is expected to center around the former leader's demand for Lee Jae-myung to step down and facilitate the formation of a joint interim leadership committee in anticipation of the parliamentary elections scheduled for April next year.
The urgency of the situation was underscored by Lee Jae-myung's comments to reporters. "I was able to get in touch with former leader Lee a short while ago, and it looks like we will meet tomorrow morning," he said. "We must do everything not to disappoint the people based on a principle of unity, so I had thought about paying him a visit at his home."
The DP leader also acknowledged the potential differences in their positions. When queried about his preparedness to respond to the former leader's demands, he stated, "We will have to talk. It's possible we have different positions."
Earlier, Lee Nak-yon expressed his willingness to meet with the current DP leader. After missing a call from Lee Jae-myung while giving an interview, Lee Nak-yon reached back but couldn’t connect as the DP leader was unavailable to respond. He mentioned to reporters, "If Chairman Lee comes to see me, I will definitely meet him. There's no reason to hide."
The meeting and subsequent discussions are critical as the DP navigates its leadership strategy ahead of the important parliamentary elections. A party spokesperson has been scheduled to brief reporters on the outcome of this high-profile meeting.