Main opposition People Power Party(PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok has accused his Democratic Party(DP) counterpart Jung Chung-rae of deliberately putting President Lee Jae Myung in a difficult predicament by pushing to pass contested bills just before their three-way luncheon.

Jang, who held a press conference after boycotting Thursday's luncheon, said he initially accepted the president's invitation to discuss fundamental livelihood concerns ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.

Jang explained that in the end, he decided against attending the tripartite meeting after the ruling DP unilaterally pushed contested reforms bills that would allow constitutional appeals in cases finalized by the Supreme Court and increase the number of top court justices from 14 to 26 during a committee meeting the previous day.

The PPP has strongly opposed the DP-led reform measures, accusing the ruling camp of trying to protect Lee from legal risks surrounding his suspended trials.

Jang also questioned Jung's motives, pointing out that the ruling camp has committed prior similar acts ahead of scheduled luncheons with the president.

The opposition leader said the passage of the bills is a betrayal and ridicules public sentiment.