President Lee holds first dinner with Democratic freshmen lawmakers

Mar 16, 2026, 09:38 am

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President Lee Jae-myung delivers a speech at the 66th anniversary ceremony of the March 15 Uprising at the National 3·15 Democracy Cemetery in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, on March 15. /Yonhap

President Lee Jae-myung held his first official meeting with first-term lawmakers of the Democratic Party on March 15, urging cooperation to advance key reform agendas.

Lee met with 34 freshman legislators from the ruling party over dinner, where they discussed issues including prosecutorial reform and economic challenges affecting ordinary citizens.

Park Ji-hye, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, said Lee asked lawmakers to work closely with the government to address a range of pending reform tasks.

“The president requested cooperation so that the government and ruling party can maintain stable coordination and work together to resolve pressing reform issues,” Park told reporters at the National Assembly.

Lee also emphasized the importance of engaging directly with the public.

“Politics that communicates and connects with the people is important,” he was quoted as saying. “The party is doing well. Please maintain your original commitment and help complete reforms in their true sense.”

According to Park, allegations circulating in online broadcasts claiming that the government and prosecutors had struck a deal to withdraw indictments in cases involving Lee were not discussed during the meeting.

“The claim of a deal to cancel indictments is completely groundless,” she said. “There were too many discussions on current affairs and people’s livelihoods to even address such rumors.”

However, lawmakers reportedly exchanged various views on prosecutorial reform.

Freshman legislators also raised concerns about the struggles facing small local businesses and suggested the need for an additional supplementary budget.

Lee met with half of the Democratic Party’s 68 first-term lawmakers during the dinner and is scheduled to meet the remaining 34 on March 16.

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