President Lee Jae Myung is set to have lunch with former President Moon Jae-in at Cheong Wa Dae on July 1, according to an announcement by Cheong Wa Dae on the 25th. This will mark their first individual meeting since President Lee assumed office. Kang Yu-jung, a senior spokesperson for Cheong Wa Dae, stated during a briefing, “They will meet to talk about open subjects,” and noted, “They are expected to openly exchange views on general national matters and the global situation.”
The meeting occurs as tensions between supporters of Moon and Cheong escalate before the Democratic Party’s national convention in August, where a new party leader will be chosen. Recently, the conflict between the pro-Moon and pro-Cheong factions has evolved into a competition between the new mainstream ‘New Lee Jae Myung’ faction, which backs President Lee, and the older mainstream ‘pro-Roh Moo-hyun and pro-Moon Jae-in’ faction, increasing divisions within the ruling party. After former representative Jung Chung-rae officially declared his intention to seek re-election by resigning as party leader the day before and met with former President Moon, the pro-Moon factions voiced their discontent, asking, “Isn’t this an open demonstration of an effort to unite the pro-Roh and pro-Moon factions to gain support?”
Following the sudden announcement of a lunch meeting with former President Moon, multiple interpretations arose. The arrangement was reportedly initiated by Cheong Wa Dae, which former President Moon agreed to. A representative from the ruling party stated, “There could be an effort to address divisions among supporters, but President Lee is also likely backing Prime Minister Kim Min-seok as a potential party leader and managing former representative Jung.” Yoon Geon-young, a Democratic Party legislator and prominent Moon supporter, mentioned on a radio program that day, “Former President Moon hopes the party will come together and handle issues effectively for the success of the Lee Jae Myung administration. He intends to delay meetings with party leadership candidates until after the convention to eliminate various rumors and misunderstandings.”
The encounter between President Lee and former President Moon occurs against the backdrop of increasing tensions within the ruling party. In February 2024, while President Lee was leading the Democratic Party ahead of the 22nd general election, he met with former President Moon in Pyeongsan Village as disputes between pro-Moon and anti-Moon groups intensified. During the presidential primary in January 2025, he returned to Pyeongsan Village again as the anti-Moon faction increased its criticism of his centralized leadership style. Following his inauguration, he extended an invitation to former President Moon and his wife for the presidential inauguration, and they reunited at the 17th anniversary commemoration event for former President Roh Moo-hyun on May 23. Nevertheless, this will mark their first official one-on-one meeting.
The former first lady, Kim Jung-sook, will be unable to attend because of her international obligations, according to Cheong Wa Dae. As a result, first lady Kim Hea Kyung will also not join the lunch.
jasdooit 
Leave a comment