Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's planned luncheon with the leaders of South Korea's ruling and opposition parties on Thursday was canceled after Jang Dong-hyeok, the chief of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), decided not to attend at the last minute, Cheong Wa Dae confirmed.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee intended to meet with Jung Chung-rae, leader of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok at Cheong Wa Dae to discuss economic and other pending issues. The cancellation was announced by Hong Ik-pyo, presidential secretary for political affairs, who informed reporters of the development.
Earlier that day, Jang Dong-hyeok had accepted Lee's invitation to address public concerns. However, he reconsidered after senior party members urged him to do so following the judiciary committee's approval of controversial judicial reform bills. Jang expressed his concerns during a Supreme Council meeting just two hours before the luncheon, arguing that the meeting could be used to overshadow criticisms of the judiciary reform.
The luncheon's cancellation follows the National Assembly's legislation and judiciary committee's approval of bills allowing constitutional appeals in Supreme Court-finalized cases and increasing the number of Supreme Court justices from 14 to 26. The PPP has strongly opposed these DP-led judicial reform measures, criticizing them as attempts to protect President Lee from legal challenges.