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President Lee Jae Myung (center) stands for a photo with independent lawmakers and parties with fewer than 20 members in the National Assembly ahead of a luncheon at the Blue House on April 29, 2026. (courtesy Blue House)

In a meeting with independent and minor party lawmakers on Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called on the legislators to “take on more of a public-minded stance in terms of foreign relations.”

His remarks were interpreted as a plea for cooperation across party lines in response to the economic crisis triggered by the protracted Israel-Iran war and US pressures in security- and economy-related areas.

On Wednesday, Lee held a luncheon roundtable at the Blue House with Rebuilding Korea Party floor leader Seo Wang-jin, Progressive Party floor leader Yoon Jong-o, Reform Party floor leader Chun Ha-ram, and Social Democratic Party leader and floor leader Han Chang-min as guests. Also invited were independent lawmakers Kim Jong-min and Choi Hyuck-jin.

This was Lee’s first time hosting a meeting at the Blue House for lawmakers from parties with fewer than 20 members in the National Assembly, the threshold for forming a parliamentary negotiation group, including independents.

“While our domestic situation has been chaotic, we’re capable of overcoming that through our own strength. But the worsening situation overseas is an issue that we can’t resolve through our strength alone,” Lee remarked during the meeting.

“In other countries, [politicians] may squabble over domestic affairs, but it’s rare to see them engage in self-defeating behavior on external matters such as foreign policy and national security. Unfortunately, we still seem to be seeing some of that behavior here in Korea,” the president said.

Given the current energy crisis and the US decision to cut back on sharing some intelligence on North Korea as it pressures South Korea to stop investigating a data leak at the online retailer Coupang, Lee’s remarks sound like an appeal for lawmakers to engage in cross-party cooperation to deal with the crisis instead of stirring up conflict, as the main opposition People Power Party has been doing.

“I’m not saying that anybody here has been doing that. I think that Koreans want their politicians to demonstrate their capacity for unity so we can overcome the crisis. When dealing with diplomatic matters, our focus should be on the national interest, regardless of our political polarization,” the president added.

By Goh Gyoung-ju, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]