Minseok Kim and Donghyuk Jang Hold First Meeting on the 24th: "I Will Continue Building an Unbroken Bridge of Dialogue"

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, met with Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, on August 24 and said, “Because there are different political views between the ruling and opposition parties within a country, even if all lines of communication are severed, I believe there should always remain some relationship for dialogue. Going forward, I will work to establish such a relationship.” He added, “I will continue to build an unbroken bridge of dialogue.”

Kim Minseok, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (left), is visiting Jang Donghyuk, leader of the People Power Party, at the National Assembly on August 24, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

After being elected as the leader of the Democratic Party through the August 17 party convention, Kim visited the office of the People Power Party's leader on this day. During the meeting, he described Jang as “a leader who, despite having different views on impeachment, shared a common purpose in the process of lifting martial law—a leader who crossed a critical historical juncture together in overlapping areas.” Kim also highlighted common ground between the two parties, referring to the presence of photos of former presidents Syngman Rhee, Park Chung-hee, and Kim Young-sam in the People Power Party leader’s office.

Kim especially stated to Jang, “We often talk about regular and ongoing meetings, but I think it would be better to have conversations as needed, whenever necessary. I hope we can meet at any time, call, and communicate frequently.” Jang welcomed this proposal, saying, “Rather than speaking only in front of TV cameras at official events, I wholeheartedly support having direct and frequent conversations. I hope both the ruling and opposition party leaders can make this a reality.”

However, differing opinions also emerged regarding pending issues. Jang expressed concerns over the process for nominating Supreme Court justices, the use of excess tax revenue for future response funds, and real estate policy. He stated to Kim, “From the perspective of judicial independence, the rule of law, and protecting Korean democracy, I hope this issue is resolved properly. As the leader of the ruling party, I hope you will play a role on behalf of the public.” Regarding excess tax revenue, Jang said, “There should be discussions on using around 50% of the excess tax revenue to support the middle class, working people, small business owners, and young people.” Referring to real estate, he brought up that a high-level party-government meeting the previous day had discussed reforming real estate-related tax policies and added, “I hope you will take a courageous decision and shift policy direction boldly.”

In response, Kim said regarding the nomination of Supreme Court justices, “This is not a matter of a unilateral decision—it should be approached with the view that all procedures must return to full normalcy.” He also suggested the possibility of further discussions between the ruling and opposition parties on issues such as excess tax revenue and real estate policy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.