The agreement came after Cheong Wa Dae and the NPAD disagreed over the size and nature of the meeting — reportedly proposed Monday by Hyun Ki-hwan, senior presidential secretary, during his meeting with leaders of the rival parties.

The NPAD agreed to the presidential office’s proposal to include both parties’ leaders and their whips to focus on labor reforms and the passage of economic-related bills, an issue that Park had urged lawmakers to take on and sign into law.

The NPAD had demanded a more concise setup — of Park, the ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Kim Moo-sung and Rep. NPAD leader Moon Jae-in — to address the president about her attempt to adopt state-authored textbooks. In response to the NPAD’s request, Cheong Wa Dae reiterated its version of the meeting.

Meeting with the chairmen of major parties has been customary protocol for the president upon returning from overseas trips. Park returned from her U.S. visit on Sunday.

Park has often used the occasions to navigate through political impasses.

In 2013, Park held her first meeting with the major party leaders as president when she was embroiled in an election scandal following allegations that the former National Intelligence Service chief ordered his staff to smear Moon, then her liberal opponent, as a North Korean sympathizer during her campaign.

Most recently, she invited Kim and Moon to the presidential office this March after Moon took over as NPAD chairman. Then, there were allegation that her close aide illegally interfered with the presidential office’s decision-making process.

The ruling Saenuri Party, for its part, criticized the NPAD’s demand for a three-way meeting, saying that the NPAD might divert the people’s attentions away from important economic issues and use the forum for political bickering.

“Currently, the controversy over the textbooks is so intense. I am afraid the (trilateral) meeting would be more about partisan standoff, not improving the people’s livelihoods,” said Saenuri Party whip Rep. Won Yoo-chul.

Meanwhile, rival parties on Tuesday also agreed to hold a meeting between their leaders after the Saenuri Party’s request earlier in the day that the two sides find ways to resolve the political deadlock that it claimed was preventing the lawmakers from dealing with pressing issues such as the passage of pending bills.

The Saenuri Party has been skeptical of the meeting out of concern that the NPAD, consumed with textbook issues, would use the forum for their political attacks. NPAD whip Rep. Lee Jong-kul had requested a similar bilateral meeting the day before.

“Regardless of the agenda and format, we are more than willing to accept any proposal to bring the National Assembly back on track and improve the people’s livelihood,” said Rep. Lee Choon-Suak, the NPAD vice floor leader. 

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)