▲ President Lee Jae Myung (3rd from L) speaks during a luncheon meeting with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and five minor parties at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 16, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (C, front) poses for a photo with leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and five minor parties during a luncheon meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 16, 2026. (Yonhap)
▲ President Lee Jae Myung (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) Lee-politics

(2nd LD) Lee, political leaders discuss joint efforts to resolve Coupang data leak, other pending issues

(ATTN: UPDATES with briefing in paras 1-7; CHANGES headline; ADDS photo)

By Kim Eun-jung and Yi Wonju

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged bipartisan cooperation from the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties in addressing pending state affairs, including a massive data breach at Coupang Inc., Cheong Wa Dae said.

Lee made the remark during a 90-minute luncheon meeting with the leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and five minor parties at Cheong Wa Dae, presidential secretary for public relations and communication Lee Kyu-youn said during a press briefing.

Also discussed at the meeting were issues involving financially troubled discount store chain Homeplus Co. and a labor dispute at GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co. The participants agreed on the need for bipartisan cooperation to address them, according to the secretary.

President Lee also urged the political parties to join hands on issues that concern the national interest when dealing with security and foreign affairs, noting his recent visits to China and Japan.

Lee will hold a New Year's press conference on Jan. 21, marking the first official press conference since the presidential office was relocated back to Cheong Wa Dae.

He plans to unveil his policy vision for 2026 and address a broad range of topics, including livelihoods, the economy, diplomacy and security, society and culture.

It will also mark Lee's third press conference, following the one held in July, a month into his term, and in September, marking his first 100 days in office.

Jang Dong-hyeok, the leader of the main opposition People Power Party, did not attend the meeting.

On Thursday, Jang launched a hunger strike, demanding the DP accept special probe bills on allegations of bribery involving the Unification Church and separate claims of illicit payments linked to the DP's election nominations.

The five minor parties are the Rebuilding Korea Party, the New Reform Party, the Basic Income Party, the Jinbo Party and the Social Democratic Party.

It marked Lee's third meeting with the party leaders since taking office in June last year, and his first since last September.

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