Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol and main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Chairman Lee Jae-myung met for talks at the presidential office on Monday to discuss state affairs. Lee introduced a lengthy list of demands to the president, saying that the result of the general elections earlier this month is a testament that the Korean people want the Yoon administration to change. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: Main opposition Democratic Party(DP) chief Lee Jae-myung pressed President Yoon Suk Yeol to stop exercising his veto power against opposition-led bills.  

The two sides met for talks at the presidential office on Monday, during which the main opposition chief read a written statement, detailing his demands to Yoon.

[Sound bite: Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung (Korean-English)] 
“From the Democratic Party’s point of view, excessive exercise of veto power, presidential ordinances infringing on legislative authority and nullifying confirmation hearings are threats to the separation of powers and the rule of law… If you try to subdue the National Assembly and the opposition with administrative power, it is going to be difficult to run state affairs successfully.”  

Yoon had previously rejected calls for a meeting with the opposition chief but changed his stance following the ruling People Power Party’s defeat in the April 10 general elections.

[Sound bite: Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung (Korean-English)] 
"We believe that it is now clear through the general elections that the mandate of the Korean people is to fix the broken state affairs. The Korean people have ordered us through the elections to revive people's livelihoods and the economy... " 

While pressing President Yoon to express regret over his decision to exercise his veto power against DP-led bills, Lee demanded the president reconsider a special bill mandating a new investigation into the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022.  

During his 15-minute opening remarks, the DP chief also asked for the president's support to launch a special counsel probe into controversies surrounding a military report on the death of Marine Corporal Chae Su-geun last year. 
 
Lee's list also included Yoon's support for a subsidy of 250-thousand won or around 180 U.S. dollars per person which the main opposition says is necessary to improve the livelihoods of the people. 

Without making a specific reference to suspicions of stock-price manipulation related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, the opposition chief also asked Yoon to resolve allegations surrounding his family members. 

Initially scheduled for an hour, the meeting lasted around two hours and ten minutes. 

According to the presidential office, Yoon and Lee failed to reach a concrete agreement, but saw eye to eye on the need to increase the admissions quota at medical schools and to meet often.  


Yoon’s new chief of staff, as well as the presidential senior secretaries for political and public affairs took part in the meeting, for which the opposition leader arrived with his chief of staff, his party's policy chief and spokesperson.


It marks the first time President Yoon has held official talks with the nation's main opposition chief.   
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.