Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged bipartisan cooperation from the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties in addressing pending state affairs, including a massive data breach at Coupang Inc., Cheong Wa Dae said. Lee's call came during a 90-minute luncheon meeting with leaders from the ruling Democratic Party and five minor parties at Cheong Wa Dae, as reported by presidential secretary for public relations and communication Lee Kyu-youn during a press briefing.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting also covered issues concerning financially troubled discount store chain Homeplus Co. and a labor dispute at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co. The participants acknowledged the necessity for bipartisan cooperation to tackle these matters, as conveyed by the secretary.

President Lee emphasized the importance of political parties collaborating on issues that impact national interests, especially in the context of security and foreign affairs, highlighting his recent visits to China and Japan. Lee is scheduled to hold a New Year's press conference on January 21, marking the first official press conference since the presidential office was relocated back to Cheong Wa Dae. During this event, he plans to present his policy vision for 2026 and address a wide array of topics, including livelihoods, the economy, diplomacy and security, society, and culture.

The upcoming press conference will be Lee's third since taking office, following previous ones in July and September, which marked his first month and 100 days in office, respectively. Notably, Jang Dong-hyeok, the leader of the main opposition People Power Party, did not attend the meeting. On Thursday, Jang initiated a hunger strike, demanding the Democratic Party accept special probe bills on allegations of bribery involving the Unification Church and separate claims of illicit payments linked to the Democratic Party's election nominations.

The five minor parties in attendance were the Rebuilding Korea Party, the New Reform Party, the Basic Income Party, the Jinbo Party, and the Social Democratic Party. This was Lee's third meeting with party leaders since assuming office in June last year and his first since last September.