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

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President Lee Jae-myung met with the new leadership of the Democratic Party of Korea on August 25 and stated, "The president can be said to be the flower that our Democratic Party has created and nurtured," adding, "Our Democratic Party is one with the government and the presidential office." This is a request for all to unite to achieve progress in state affairs, moving beyond the internal conflicts that were revealed during the recent party convention period.

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

At a dinner meeting with the new Democratic Party leadership, including Representative Kim Minseok, held at the Inwang Room of the main Blue House building that evening, President Lee remarked, "I am the most important member of the Democratic Party, and the government itself is also a government created by our Democratic Party." President Lee further stated, "Going forward, I hope that through the continued cooperation between the party, government, and presidential office, we will successfully fulfill the responsibilities entrusted to the Democratic Party and my administration by the people."

He particularly stressed the need to bring about tangible improvements in the lives of the people through cooperation among the party, government, and presidential office. President Lee said, "The essence of politics is not noisy slogans or beautiful rhetoric but rather making real improvements in the lives of our people," and added, "While it may sound simple to talk about people's livelihoods, truly caring for and improving people's lives is not that easy."

President Lee emphasized, "Whether it is the party, government, or Blue House, what can be accomplished unilaterally during policy implementation is extremely limited," and continued, "The Democratic Party, the government, and the Blue House must work together to faithfully carry out the roles that the people have entrusted to us." He added, "I hope that we can clearly demonstrate improvements in people's lives and a better future for Korea, in a way the people themselves can feel. I, too, will do my part."

Seemingly aware of the intra-party competition and conflict that surfaced during the party convention, President Lee also reiterated the importance of unity. He noted, "While differences exist, no matter how large they may be, they are not as great as our differences with those we must overcome," and emphasized, "If we focus solely on what divides us, there is no end. But if we look for common ground, we can become closer."

President Lee said, "Even twins who were born on the same boat are different from each other," and added, "If you start dwelling on differences, you will become adversaries, but if you seek out similarities, you will become brothers with a strong bond." He continued, "I hope that, representing party members and serving the people, the members of the Democratic Party can look past minor differences and dedicate themselves to the great task of building the Korea our people have entrusted us with."

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 very much in line with the continued emphasis on party unity following the party convention. Previously, President Lee invited his rivals from the convention to the Blue House to call for harmony, and on this day, he sat down with the entire new leadership. This is seen as a move to minimize the aftereffects of internal competition while focusing the party, government, and presidential office around the new leadership to achieve concrete results for people’s livelihoods and policies.

In particular, expressions such as "the party, government, and presidential office are one" and "the government created by the Democratic Party" are drawing attention, as they bind the political responsibility of the party and government into a single entity, going beyond a simple cooperative relationship. This is also interpreted as a strong message calling for an active role by the Democratic Party leadership in supporting legislative, budgetary, and policy initiatives for future state achievements.

Attendees at the dinner included Representative Kim Minseok; Floor Leader Han Byungdo; Senior Supreme Council Member Choi Minhee; Supreme Council Members Han Minsu, Lee Sungyun, Seo Mihwa, and Park Sunwon; Secretary-General Han Jeongae; Policy Committee Chair Kwon Chilsung; and Chief Spokesperson Park Sungjoon. From the presidential office, attendees included Chief of Staff Kang Hoonshik, Senior Political Secretary Hong Ikpyo, and Political Secretary Jeong Eulho.

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