After months of partisan wrangling that has paralyzed the legislative procedures for passing bills, South Korea’s ruling and opposition parties are finally set to explore ways to work together.
The momentum comes with both parties having elected new leaders, but there are concerns that the same old political play might be repeated.
On Sunday, Rep. Lee Jae-myung was reelected to lead the Democratic Party of Korea, which currently dominates the National Assembly. Lee won 85.4 percent of the votes from registered party members in a convention in Seoul, leading to his second term as party leader.
Lee had served his first term from August 2022 to June this year. His second term is set to end in August 2026.
Lee’s landslide victory against other candidates for the top post of the country’s biggest party was hardly surprising. He has a firm grip on the party and a strong support base despite the multiple court battles that continue to hold him back in connection with the alleged third-party bribery, involvement in unauthorized remittance to North Korea and other issues.
On July 23, the ruling People Power Party elected Han Dong-hoon, a former interim leader of the embattled party. He won a majority of votes in the heated race, which made it unnecessary to hold a runoff.
Han’s reemergence came three months after he resigned over the ruling party’s defeat in April’s parliamentary elections. Han, a former justice minister, pledged to push ahead with key agenda items, tackling challenges from the National Assembly controlled by the Democratic Party and the opposition bloc.
Although both Lee and Han are familiar political figures, their reelections have heightened public expectations for a possible breakthrough in the longstanding confrontation between the two parties that resulted in piles of unresolved bills.
The first positive sign came Monday when the two leaders agreed to hold their first official talks to seek ways to “improve people’s livelihoods.” They will meet on Sunday for the first time as chiefs of the ruling and opposition parties, with the specific agenda items and details yet to be worked out.
During his victory speech on Sunday, Lee offered to talk with Han to discuss pending issues. Han accepted Lee’s offer and instructed his staff to prepare for the meeting.
For all the pessimistic views about the country’s political circles, the two leaders willing to meet with each other is a welcomed development. What matters, however, is how much they can compromise on key issues despite the conflicting interests and positions within their respective parties.
Over the forthcoming meetup with Han, Lee suggested three topics: a bill on a special counsel investigation into the death of a young Marine conscript last year, a cash handout initiative plan and the reactivation of the district party system.
Han, meanwhile, cited abolishing the financial investment income tax set to take effect in January as the top priority to discuss during the planned meeting with Lee.
The issues in question are largely controversial. Considering the explosive and complex nature of the agenda, it is unlikely the two leaders can reach tangible agreements in a single meeting.
Rather than focusing on the complicated issues that require enough negotiation time, the two political heavyweights need to refocus on what matters most for the public: the protracted heat wave, stubbornly high consumer prices and interest rates and the anemic domestic demand that hurts small enterprises and the self-employed.
Among other important topics, the problem-laden pension system is a pressing issue that the rival parties have to handle, given that the government is set to propose a new reform plan soon. Working on the bills designed to spur the expansion and advancement of the country’s artificial intelligence and semiconductor industries is equally crucial.
Given the high stakes, the two leaders need to expand their views beyond their own parties and pivot policy agendas to address the problems people are struggling with.
