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President Lee Jae-myung met with former President Moon Jae-in at the presidential office for the first time since taking office, presenting "internal unity" and "national integration" as core tasks for a democratic government. The two agreed that they should broaden their base on the foundation of solidarity within the democratic reform camp and pool their efforts toward governance for all citizens.
According to the presidential office on the 1st, President Lee invited former President Moon to a luncheon meeting at Sangchunjae in Cheong Wa Dae that day. In their first official meeting since Lee took office, the two exchanged greetings with an embrace at Cheong Wa Dae and asked after each other's health. While walking to Sangchunjae, they exchanged remarks such as "It's been a while since you've been here, hasn't it?" and "Yes, it has been a while," and as they took their seats, they each offered the other the seat of honor.
Speaking first, former President Moon said, "It is deeply moving to visit Cheong Wa Dae for the first time since leaving office," adding, "Another task of this era given to the Lee Jae-myung administration is national integration." He stressed, "To achieve national integration, unity within the party is the starting point," and, "The Democratic Party must unite first, and the forces that joined the democratic reform camp and the Revolution of Light must form a greater coalition." He added, "The person who can accomplish this in Korea right now is President Lee," and urged, "I hope you will demonstrate greater leadership and fulfill the dream of becoming a 'president for everyone.'"
President Lee expressed agreement, responding, "We do not work for personal purposes or private reasons," and, "As the governing force, we must represent everyone and conduct politics and administration for all." He continued, "For that, internal unity is also very important. The core must be solid," while emphasizing, "We must constantly expand our base and work to create a structural majority, and this must be backed by results. These two must be balanced." He also stated, "I will pool efforts with those who share the same vision and, on that foundation, expand toward a structural majority."
President Lee made clear his commitment to carrying on the legacy of democratic governments. He said, "The People's Sovereignty Government was created through the Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Moon Jae-in administrations," adding, "We must build new achievements on top of existing ones, nurture the strengths and fill in the shortcomings, and continue the history of democratic governments."
He continued, "It has been just over a year since we took power, and I keenly feel that many of the achievements the Moon Jae-in administration built over five years have been badly damaged," adding, "We are focusing on normalizing various fields, including diplomacy, security, inter-Korean relations, the economy, and culture." He said, "Achievements I didn't fully appreciate before now feel greater once they have been damaged," and, "I will continue to work toward restoring them."
On inter-Korean relations, he assessed, "Having met with foreign leaders and seen the situation, I think things have been so badly damaged that recovery will not be easy," adding, "Especially since military tensions have accumulated significantly, this does not seem like a problem that can be resolved with one or two years of effort." However, he stated, "I will continue the Sunshine Policy and the policy of peaceful coexistence that democratic governments have pursued."
At the end of the meeting, he told former President Moon, "I wanted to hear your advice, and I apologize that the invitation came late," adding, "I hope to hear from you often in the future."
