President Lee Holds First Dinner with New Ruling Party Leadership: "The President Is a Flower Cultivated by the Democratic Party"

Lee: "The Party, Government, and Blue House Are One... The Government Is Also Created by the Democratic Party"

"If We Seek Differences, We Become Adversaries; If We Focus on Common Ground, We Become Like Siblings"... Calls for Party Unity

"The Essence of Politics Is Improving People's Lives"... Emphasizing Party-Government-Blue House Cooperation for Policy Outcomes

On August 25, President Lee Jae-myung met with the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea and stated, "The president can be seen as a flower that our party has cultivated and brought to blossom," adding, "Within our Democratic Party, the party, the government, and the Blue House are united as one." His remarks were a call for the party to move beyond internal conflicts confirmed during the recent party convention and to join forces in achieving tangible outcomes in state affairs.

President Lee Jae-myung is taking a commemorative photo before a dinner meeting with the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea at the Blue House on August 25, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee made these comments during a dinner meeting held at the Inwang Room of the main building of the Blue House in the evening, attended by new Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and other newly appointed executives. He said, "I am the most important member of the Democratic Party, and the government is likewise a government created by the Democratic Party." President Lee went on to say, "I hope that the party, the government, and the Blue House will continue to work together so that the roles entrusted to the Democratic Party and the Lee Jae-myung administration by the people are faithfully fulfilled."

He especially emphasized that cooperation among the party, the administration, and the Blue House must be used to bring about real improvements in people's livelihoods. President Lee said, "The essence of politics does not lie in loud slogans or beautiful claims, but in actually making people's lives better. Although we talk about livelihood issues as if they are simple, in reality, truly attending to and improving the lives of our citizens is never an easy task."

President Lee also stated, "Whether it is the party, the government, or the Blue House, any entity working alone is extremely limited in what it can accomplish during the execution of policy." He continued, "The Democratic Party, the government, and the Blue House need to join forces to thoroughly fulfill the roles entrusted to us by the public." He added, "I look forward to us demonstrating—clearly enough for the public to feel it—that we are creating better lives for our people and a better future for the Republic of Korea. I will also work together with you toward that goal."

Apparently mindful of the competition and conflict revealed within the party during the party convention, President Lee reiterated the need for unity. He said, "There are indeed differences among us, but no matter how significant those differences may be, they are never as great as the differences we must overcome with our adversaries. If we focus on our differences, the task is limitless, but if we seek our common ground, we can come closer together."

President Lee continued, "Even twins born in the same boat are different from each other. If we begin searching for what sets us apart, we end up on the path of enmity. But if we focus on what we have in common, we become siblings united by friendship." He went on to say, "I hope that members of the Democratic Party, representing the membership and working on behalf of the people, can overcome even small differences among themselves and make an all-out effort to accomplish the great mission entrusted to us to build a greater Republic of Korea."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Democratic Party of Korea’s new leadership dinner meeting held at the Blue House on August 25, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee's remarks on this day are in line with his recent moves to promote party unity following the party convention. Earlier, he invited his rivals from the convention to the Blue House for a meeting aimed at reconciliation, and this time, he met with the entire new leadership. This is seen as both an effort to minimize the aftereffects of internal competition and a signal to regroup the party, administration, and the Blue House around the new leadership in order to focus on achieving results in both policy and the livelihood of the people.

In particular, by describing the "party, government, and Blue House as one" and referring to the administration as the "government created by the Democratic Party," President Lee’s comments went beyond merely emphasizing cooperation. His statements highlighted that the party and government now share political responsibility as a single entity. This has also been interpreted as a call for a more active role from the Democratic Party’s new leadership in the legislative process, budget deliberations, and policy implementation that support the government’s upcoming achievements.

Attendees at the dinner included party leader Kim Min-seok; Han Byung-do, floor leader; Choi Min-hee, chief senior member; Han Min-soo, Lee Seong-yoon, Seo Mihwa, and Park Sun-won, senior members; Han Jung-ae, secretary-general; Kwon Chil-seung, policy committee chair; and Park Sung-joon, chief spokesperson. From the Blue House, those present included Gang Hun-sik, presidential chief of staff; Hong Ik-pyo, senior secretary for political affairs; and Jeong Eul-ho, presidential secretary for political affairs.

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