In South Korea, rare Yoon-opposition meet offers hopes of bridging political divide: ‘better than nothing’

Analysts said the talks between Yoon and liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung were “somewhat encouraging” and signalled an attempt to bridge a divide.

The request comes ahead of planned inquiries by the opposition-controlled National Assembly into potential abuses of power and corruption within the Yoon administration.

Lee’s Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) won 175 of the 300 National Assembly seats in this month’s elections, while Yoon’s ruling conservative People Power Party managed to secure 108 seats, seven more than the 101 seats needed to prevent opposition parties from impeaching the president.

“I felt frustrated and disappointed,” Lee was quoted as saying by the DPK spokesman, Park Sung-joon, of the 130-minute-long discussion over tea with Yoon at the presidential office on Monday.

“I find the meeting’s significance in the fact that we have taken the first step towards dialogue.”

Lee opened the meeting with a 15-minute live televised speech, calling for policy adjustments aimed at alleviating the economic hardships faced by the population, including high inflation, rising interest rates and a fluctuating exchange rate.

Lee referenced the 2024 Democracy Report issued by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg, which raised concerns about South Korea’s democratic trajectory since Yoon took office in May 2022.

“We’re now living in a world where people are concerned they might be arrested if they speak wrongly,” Lee said, accusing the government of cracking down on critical news media and journalists.

“People are concerned that exchanging barbs would result in the exchange of bombs” between the two rivals, Lee said, urging Yoon to seek ways to defuse mounting tensions with the North.

Shi