On the 4th, the day after the 6·3 local elections, President Lee Jae Myung said, “The government will humbly uphold the will of our people embodied in the local elections,” and, “Now that the elections are over, I ask the political community to join forces for practical improvements to livelihoods as mandated by the sovereign people, balanced regional development, and national unity.” This is interpreted as an emphasis on unity and cooperation while watching the public sentiment revealed in the local elections.

At the senior secretaries meeting presided over at the Blue House that day, the president said, “The government will also actively cooperate with newly elected local governments regardless of party affiliation.” It appears intended as a message with the outcome in mind that People Power Party candidate Oh Se-hoon won the Seoul mayoral race, considered the key battleground.

The president said, “Whatever the competition during the campaign, both the ruling and opposition parties are partners that, on behalf of the sovereign people, must protect the lives of the public and pioneer a better tomorrow for the nation,” and, “We will gather the hearts of all citizens and devote all our strength to progress in the lives of the people and the development of the Republic of Korea.”

The president attended the meeting wearing a necktie in a mix of red, navy, and gray tones. It was the tie worn at the presidential inauguration on June 4 last year; red symbolizes the People Power Party, navy the Democratic Party, and gray the undecided. Because the symbolic colors of the ruling and opposition parties blend together, it is also called a ‘unity tie’.

The fact that the president emphasized unity and cooperation is not unrelated to local election results that fell short of expectations. The Democratic Party won in 12 of 16 metropolitan jurisdictions, but yielded the Seoul mayoralty to the People Power Party. In response, he lowered his stance by expressing a willingness to cooperate with opposition-affiliated local government heads as well. However, the Blue House emphasized livelihoods and economic growth as conditions for cooperation. In a briefing that day, Chief Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said, “Having confirmed the diverse voices of the people through the elections, the government will better heed public sentiment and work for stabilizing livelihoods and economic growth,” and, “On that basis, we believe the opportunity for national unity can be better realized, and we will make good use of this election as an opportunity for national unity.”

The president said, “Starting today, the second year of the people-sovereign government begins,” and, “I ask all public officials to once again tie their shoelaces tightly and concentrate every effort on doubling the speed of governance.” He also expressed a goal of producing results in the area of livelihoods in the second year of state affairs. The president instructed, “On matters concerning the lives of the people, respond as forcefully as may even seem excessive,” and, “Mobilize all available means to prevent disasters such as heatstroke, flood damage, landslides, retaining wall collapses, ground subsidence, and suffocation in confined spaces.”

The president said, “There are many sectors in our society that are marginalized,” and, “Although the right to rest for facility management workers such as security and cleaning staff is legally guaranteed, the situation at actual worksites remains insufficient.” He said, “Please expedite improvements to rest facilities for facility management workers at all public institutions under the central and local governments and reflect the results in institution evaluations,” and, “I make a special request in this regard to the local governments that will soon be launched. Special efforts are required to ensure that the basic rights of those who silently support the lives of the people in unseen places are guaranteed.”