<\/video>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cGuests: former Democratic Party spokesman Kim Jin-wook and former People Power Party spokesman Song Young-hoon.\u201d President Lee Jae-myung met again with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Lee\u2019s hometown of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. For the first time, the two leaders have institutionalized a form of \u201cshuttle diplomacy\u201d by visiting each other\u2019s hometowns. We\u2019re joined by former Democratic Party spokesman Kim Jin-wook and former People Power Party spokesman Song Young-hoon to assess the outcome of this third meeting and to review developments in the local elections. Question 1: President Lee personally welcomed Prime Minister Takaichi outside the hotel. The leaders agreed to expand cooperation on energy and supply chains amid unstable international conditions, including tensions involving Iran. How would you evaluate this summit? Question 2: Despite the cordial summit atmosphere, some domestic negotiations remain fraught. At Samsung Electronics, management and labor have continued post-adjustment talks past the scheduled end time. Political leaders are stressing that a strike must be avoided. Do you agree with that stance? Question 3: People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk has sharply criticized the government, the ruling party, and ruling-block candidate Chu Mi-ae \u2014 the Gyeonggi Province candidate he says would be hardest hit if a Samsung strike occurs \u2014 accusing them of standing idly by. He argues that passage of the \u201cYellow Envelope Act\u201d contributed to this situation and that authorities are not taking sufficiently aggressive action. Do you agree? If so, what would \u201cmore active measures\u201d entail? Question 4: Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae said races in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Busan, Ulsan, and Seoul have become significantly more competitive, effectively acknowledging a shift in the electoral map. During campaign season, politicians sometimes issue pessimistic forecasts to mobilize their base. Do you read his remarks that way, or do you see them differently? Question 5: On the battleground Pyeongtaek B district in Gyeonggi, Jeong said he will examine every scenario and follow the will of the voters. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate Kim Yong-nam faces allegations that, while serving as a Saenuri Party lawmaker, he verbally and physically abused staff. How might these allegations affect the race? Question 6: Seoul, another key battleground, is also intensifying. Following allegations of an assault while intoxicated, controversy over missing rebar on a section of the GTX near Samseong Station has sharpened the exchange between candidates Jung Won-oh and Oh Se-hoon. Recent polls show only a 3-percentage-point gap \u2014 within the margin of error \u2014 and analysts say conservative consolidation may be taking hold. How do you interpret the polls and the candidates\u2019 rhetoric? Question 7: Finally, the Starbucks marketing controversy has spread to the company\u2019s U.S. headquarters. Starbucks Korea promoted a large tumbler sale and labeled May 18 \u201cTank Day,\u201d which critics say evoked the deployment of martial-law tanks and trivialized the death of Park Jong-chul. In response, Shinsegae chairman Jung Yong-jin dismissed the head of Starbucks Korea and issued a personal apology. What\u2019s your assessment? Question 8: Shinsegae Vice President Kim Su-wan visited the Gwangju May 18 Memorial Culture Center on the 19th to apologize for Starbucks Korea\u2019s \u201cTank Day\u201d event, but he was unable to meet representatives of May 18 organizations. The groups said he arrived without arranging a meeting and rejected the apology. Online, videos have shown people smashing Starbucks mugs, and calls for a consumer boycott are gaining traction. Can a simple apology defuse this crisis? #KoreaJapanSummit #ShuttleDiplomacy #LocalElections Yonhap News TV \u2014 story tips and inquiries: KakaoTalk \/ LINE jebo23; Choi Byung-yoon (yoonique@yna.co.kr)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung and Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi meet in Andong, marking a milestone in shuttle diplomacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/cdn-union.tenbizt.com\/contents\/crawler-dev\/thumbnail\/2026\/05\/CP-2023-0139\/thumb-f7441dc8-0841-43a3-b120-e40714eaa03b.jpg","footnotes":""},"categories":[278093],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\n
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