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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) and first lady Kim Hea Kyung salute the national flag during a New Year's meeting at the guest house of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ President Lee Jae Myung (R) toasts his glass with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik during a New Year's meeting at the guest house of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on Jan. 2, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Lee-New Year meeting
(LEAD) Lee calls national unity urgent task
(ATTN: UPDATES throughout with latest details, photos; CHANGES headline)
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung said Friday that national unity is an urgent task to help the nation make a major leap forward, saying that confrontation and division resolve nothing.
"If people turn their backs on one another simply because they think differently, or differences lead to extreme confrontation, a society can never move forward," Lee told a New Year's meeting with key politicians, lawmakers and executives, as well as major figures from labor and cultural circles.
"National unity is the most important and urgent task," Lee said.
Looking back on last year's period of recovery and normalization, Lee said he hopes the country will make "a new leap forward" this year through concerted efforts by the government, businesses and the public.
"Rather than amplifying conflicts, we must seek a path toward coexistence and unity and think about shared prosperity, not just the speed of growth," he said, wearing a tie mixed with red and blue, the symbolic colors of the ruling and opposition parties.
Lee also called for a shift in the growth paradigm, moving away from a development model centered on the Seoul metropolitan area and large conglomerates toward a more inclusive, nationwide strategy.
"We must boldly change our existing growth strategy in today's environment, where the concentration of capital and the skewed distribution of opportunities hinder growth and lead to a vicious cycle of competition and conflict," he said.
He vowed efforts to ensure venture firms and small and medium-sized companies can benefit from growth, while encouraging young entrepreneurs and startup founders to innovate boldly.
The meeting was attended by five key figures from the three branches of government: Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, Constitutional Court Chief Kim Sang-hwan and National Election Commission Chair Roh Tae-ak.
Leaders of the ruling Democratic Party and Cabinet ministers, as well as representatives from major business groups, labor organizations and cultural circles, also took part in the event.
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