President Yoon Suk Yeol and main opposition Democratic Party(DP) leader Lee Jae-myung met on Tuesday before the president addressed the National Assembly on next year's state budget.

According to the presidential office, Yoon attended a gathering of political leaders in parliament presided over by Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo before the speech.

Attendants at the meeting included party leaders and floor leaders from both the ruling People Power Party(PPP) and the DP, as well as the president of the Constitutional Court, the chief of the election watchdog and the head of the state audit agency.

In anticipation of some of the closest contact between Yoon and Lee since the president's inauguration last May, as they have only exchanged brief greetings at events, the meeting was preceded by speculation of a potential breakthrough for cooperation amid deep polarization between the ruling and opposition blocs.

Last week, PPP chief Kim Gi-hyeon suggested a meeting with his DP counterpart that was met with a counter-proposal by Lee of a three-way meeting including the president, but it was effectively rejected by the top office.