(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Gyeong-jong and Choi Joo-seong = Kim Min-seok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, met with Presidential Chief of Staff Lim Kwang-hyun and Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi In-ho, who visited the National Assembly on the 10th, and discussed ways to develop relations between the party and the government.
On this day's visit to greet Director Lim and Chief Choi's inauguration, Representative Kim, Director Lim, and Chief Choi emphasized with one voice the importance of cooperation between the party, government, and government.
First, Representative Kim said to Director Lim, "He has deep expertise in administration through his long career in public service," and added, "I believe he will play a big role in judging and coordinating national affairs in the future."
Regarding Chief Choi, he said, "He has accumulated a wealth of political experience through his work at the Blue House under the participatory government, as a member of our party's supreme committee and chief spokesperson, and as a secretary of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee of the National Assembly. I believe he will lead smooth communication between the president and the ruling and opposition parties."
Representative Kim emphasized, "The most important national task now is to continue the country's growth with the growth of all citizens," and added, "There are many things that the party and the Blue House must solve together, including budget, legislation for people's livelihood, and social reform."
He said, “I will work closely with the two of you to create results that the public can feel.”
In response, Director Lim mentioned the budget deliberation and said, "Next year's budget plan is meaningful in continuing the growth of the country with the growth of the people and actually improving the lives of the people."
Director Lim said, “If there are voices from the field and difficulties faced by the people that have not yet been included in the government, please fully reflect them in the deliberation process at the National Assembly.” He added, “The government will also listen with an open mind to the opinions raised in the National Assembly and actively review alternatives that will help the people’s livelihood.”
He continued, "In order to fulfill the responsibility entrusted to us by the people, the party, government, and government must trust each other, communicate closely, and work together. I will also ensure that communication between the party, the government, and the Blue House is tighter and support the public's expectations."
Chief Choi also added, "I will also do my best to unite the party, government, and government and strengthen communication so that the results lead to the people's livelihood and the performance of the government."
Spokesperson Lee Yong-woo met with reporters after a private meeting and explained, "We've done well so far, but we talked about closer communication between the party and the Blue House. If there are major policies or pending issues, we talked about communicating more frequently with the party and lawmakers, either in groups or individually."
Spokesperson Lee also mentioned the People Power Party's call for cuts in the budget plan, including the Future Response Fund, and added, "There is a need to actively inform and explain parts that distort the facts or have no basis," and added, "I also emphasized processing (the budget plan) within the legal deadline."
Meanwhile, CEO Kim did not have any official schedule on this day except for meeting Director Lim and Chief Choi.
Representative Kim canceled his appearance on the party's official YouTube channel 'Democratic Party TV' in the morning due to an undisclosed schedule, and did not appear at the afternoon general meeting of lawmakers. It is reported that the luncheon schedule with first-time party lawmakers was also canceled.
Regarding this, spokesperson Lee said, "I don't know much about it," but explained, "I don't think it was on a public level and it seems like it was a personal matter."
