▲ President Lee Jae-myung greets National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik after arriving at the National Assembly for his policy speech on the 2027 budget proposal on November 2.
President Lee Jae-myung met with National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik and other leaders today (November 2) ahead of his policy speech on next year's budget proposal, calling for bipartisan cooperation from parliament.
President Lee and Speaker Cho held a conversation at around 9:40 a.m. in the Speaker's reception room with Democratic Party Leader Kim Min-seok, Floor Leader Han Byung-do, People Power Party Leader Jang Dong-hyeok, and Rebuilding Korea Party Leader Shin Jang-sik.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Constitutional Court President Kim Sang-hwan, and Board of Audit and Inspection Chairman Kim Ho-chul were also present.
President Lee shook hands with Chief Justice Cho as he entered the reception room, asking, "How have you been?"
To Constitutional Court President Kim, he said, "Pleased to meet you."
Speaker Cho spoke first, saying, "The 2027 budget proposal, the largest in history, must contain much deliberation over the great transition to artificial intelligence (AI), a key national priority, and the recovery of people's livelihoods. Along with the public's expectations, the National Assembly also feels a sense of responsibility."
He continued, "The ruling and opposition parties will do their best to thoroughly examine it so that it is put to vital and effective use, and to process it properly within the statutory deadline set by the Constitution," emphasizing that "there can be no division between the ruling and opposition parties when it comes to the people's livelihoods and the economy."
In response, President Lee explained, "This budget is surprisingly large in scale, but looking at the details, we are able to manage state finances almost without issuing new government bonds. The volume of the Republic of Korea's economy has grown tremendously."
He added, "Because the real growth rate is also very high, we focused on laying the foundation so that growth can continue accordingly and the lives of our people can steadily improve."
President Lee also remarked, "The People Power Party argues that 'the increased fiscal resources should be used to pay off debt,' which has some validity. However, looking to the future, if it is useful for establishing a foundation for sustainable growth, investing in the future is the right choice. Contrary to concerns, the national debt ratio is actually declining, so there is little need to worry about fiscal debt."
He then urged, "I ask for your understanding that this is the outcome of endless deliberation over what is desirable for the public. It is fine to compete, but it must not turn into war. Wouldn't it be better if we show the public that we engage in reasonable competition for a better world?"
(Photo courtesy of the National Assembly Press Corps, Yonhap News)
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