President Yoon Suk Yeol's office declined the proposal from Democratic Party of Korea Chair Rep. Lee Jae-myung for formal talks to address differences on a pension reform bill. Lee's aide informed reporters that Yoon's political affairs aide, Hong Chul-ho, rejected the idea of two-way or three-way talks, citing the lack of progress in bipartisan discussions on the pension reform. This refusal was seen as disapproval of both types of talks, according to Rep. Cheon Jun-ho, Lee's chief secretary. Yoon's office did not immediately provide a comment on the matter. As the 21st National Assembly is set to conclude next week, Lee emphasized the importance of reaching an agreement on pension reform and urged Yoon to engage in negotiations. The proposed pension reform involves increasing the contribution level to 13 percent of employees' wages and adjusting the benefit level, but the ruling and opposition parties have been unable to reconcile their differences, despite efforts by a special National Assembly committee. The tensions between the parties escalated after the opposition party passed a bill without consulting the ruling party, leading to strained relations.