Rival party leaders hold first official talks, agree to establish joint consultative body to address

Rival party leaders hold first official talks, agree to establish joint consultative body to address livelihoods

11년 만의 여야 대표 회담, 민생 공약 협의 기구 합의 민감 쟁점 합의 불발

The leaders of the ruling and the main opposition parties held their first official talks over the weekend where they agreed on the need to prioritize people's livelihood.
However, finding common ground on controversial issues proved to be more difficult.
Our political correspondent Shin Ha-young reports.

The leaders of the rival parties took the first step to breaking a long-standing deadlock between the two parties.
On Sunday, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, and his counterpart from the main opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, held their first official talks at the National Assembly, with each party's top policymaker and spokesperson present.

According to the spokespersons of the two parties, the two leaders have decided to set up a joint consultative body to address issues related to people's livelihoods where both parties have a consensus.
The joint statement also included measures to address the dispute related to medical reform.

"The leaders decided to urge the government to strengthen emergency care during the Chuseok holiday and agreed to discuss measures at the parliamentary level."

Both sides agreed to boost support for semiconductors, AI, and to ease the debt burden on small businesses and households.
The two sides will also swiftly push for a legislative process to extend parental leave for working parents, as well as increase penalties and improve prevention measures for deepfake sex crimes.

However, the party leaders failed to find common ground on controversial issues such as providing relief vouchers to the entire population and starting a special prosecution probe into the death of a marine during last year's flood rescue operations.

"The DP sees cash handouts as a measure for people’s livelihood, but taxpayer money is limited. We prefer to provide tailored welfare based on individual needs rather than giving everyone the same benefits."

"Since this is an economic and fiscal policy rather than a welfare policy, there's no need to disadvantage higher taxpayers. If we can’t offer extra help, we should at least ensure fair support for everyone."

They also failed to reach an agreement on abolishing financial investment income tax but agreed to discuss ways to tackle structural issues in the stock market.
Although a major breakthrough wasn’t achieved, both parties believe that the first meeting was still valuable for confirming each other's views.

"In terms of people’s livelihood and economy, the meeting was significant as it may help guide future legislation. The leaders emphasized the need for more frequent discussions."

"It was the first time in 11 years that leaders from the rival parties held official talks, and attention is now on whether this will lead to sustained cooperation between the two parties. Shin Ha-young, Arirang News."

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2024-09-02, 09:00 (KST)