South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, held their first formal meeting since Yoon’s inauguration 720 days ago on Monday afternoon. The meeting followed weeks of failed negotiations over agenda items and proceeded without predefined topics. Lee began with a 15-minute statement, open to the press, where he criticized the administration’s failure to address the difficult economic situation and “autocratization.”

He demanded a comprehensive policy overhaul, touching on the R&D budget, doctor strikes, and the overuse of presidential veto power, asking Yoon to apologize for his previous vetoes. Lee also asked Yoon to agree to the special investigation into a marine’s death last year, the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, and to expedite pension reform.