- Luxury dinner pushed ahead by the President and Democratic Party leadership amid delays in declaring flood-hit areas as special disaster zones
- Cheong Wa Dae gathering featuring Korean beef Sanchisal and Yukhoe (beef tartare)… Emphasizing only political solidarity as "fates bound together"
- Geoje and Tongyeong record 1 death, 580 evacuees… Devastating disaster scene with 67% water supply restoration rate, etc.
- Ruling camp leadership's lack of empathy under fire amid national disaster… Growing criticism for ignoring people's livelihoods

While the Geoje and Tongyeong areas in South Gyeongsang Province suffered severe flood damage from record-breaking heavy rains and desperately awaited the declaration of special disaster zones, it was confirmed that President Lee Jae-myung and the ruling party leadership enjoyed a luxury dinner featuring Korean beef and Yukhoe at Cheong Wa Dae, sparking fierce criticism. It is hard to avoid criticism that they raised a 'political toast of their own' while ignoring the suffering of evacuees in a national disaster situation.

On the 19th, President Lee Jae-myung invited newly elected Democratic Party leader Kim Min-seok and lawmakers Jung Chung-rae and Song Young-gil to a dinner at Cheong Wa Dae. According to Cheong Wa Dae, the menu for the day included so-called 'unity Yukhoe' combining local specialties from various regions, along, with grilled Korean beef Sanchisal, sweet pumpkin tarakjuk (traditional milk porridge), and various jeon (pancakes). At the gathering, President Lee referred to the ruling party, government, and presidential office as "partners in state affairs and a community of shared destiny bearing the calling of the times together," cementing their political solidarity.

However, on the same day the ruling camp's leadership enjoyed a banquet of harmony, the situation at the flood sites on the south coast was devastating. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the heavy rain resulted in 1 death and 4 injuries, and out of 1,048 evacuated residents, about 580 are still unable to return home and remain in temporary housing facilities. The restoration rate for water supply damage in the Geoje area stood at a mere 67%, and preliminary damage inspections for the declaration of special disaster zones were barely completed on the 19th, meaning it will still take time for actual declaration and support.

Inside and outside the political arena, criticism is pouring in that pushing ahead with a dinner resembling an aftermath party for the national convention, rather than having the national control tower focus all its efforts on disaster response at a time when citizens who have instantly lost their livelihoods stand at a crossroads of survival, is a serious lack of empathy. If the declaration to create an 'irreplaceable Republic of Korea' is not to remain an empty slogan, a responsible shift in state governance that prioritizes people's livelihoods and disaster recovery over the political unity of the ruling party, government, and presidential office is urgently needed.