President meets party leaders as Middle East crisis strains economy

President Lee Jae Myung met with leaders of the ruling and main opposition parties to discuss economic, social and other challenges facing the nation, according to Cheong Wa Dae and party officials, Tuesday. The officials said Lee held talks with the chairmen and floor leaders — Jung Chung-rae and Han Byung-do of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and their counterparts Jang Dong-hyeok and Song Eon-seog of the main opposition People Power Party. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, along with Lee’s chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and secretary for political affairs Hong Ik-pyo, also joined the talks. The meeting was held at the presidential office and was preceded by a lunch. While the meeting was organized to allow broad discussions without limiting the agenda to specific topics, participants were expected to focus on mitigating the economic fallout from a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. The presidential office had previously said that the economic situation resulting from the Middle East crisis was likely to be a major topic of discussion. The president was also expected to seek the Na

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