Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, announced just two hours before a scheduled luncheon with President Lee Jae-myung that he would need to reconsider his attendance. At the party's Supreme Council meeting, Jang revealed that party members had requested he reevaluate the decision, mainly due to concerns about the political implications of attending amidst ongoing tensions between the parties. Initially, Jang had accepted the invitation, but feedback from his party led him to reassess the situation.

During his comments, Jang highlighted the awkwardness of the scheduled meeting, likening it to a couple fighting and deciding to resolve their differences with the neighbor's intervention. Despite his previous acceptance of the invitation, he shared that conversations with citizens at a recent event weighed heavily on him, as they expressed their struggles and desire for their issues to be communicated to the President. However, he criticized the current political environment, pointing to legislation that he claimed undermined South Korea's judicial system as a troubling development that overshadowed the upcoming luncheon.

In the lead-up to Jang's comments, members of the People Power Party voiced their opposition to his planned attendance at the presidential meeting. Jang's remarks indicate a deep-seated frustration within his party, especially as they detailed recent legislative actions that they perceive as unilateral and damaging to the party’s moral standing. The incident reflects the complex and often contentious nature of South Korean politics as party dynamics shift and leaders seek to navigate a landscape laden with public expectations and internal dissent.