President Moon and Ruling and Opposition Floor Leaders Perform 'Gi·Cheon·Bul' Joint Prayer on the Hill Behind Cheongwadae Residence

Joo Ho-young, the floor leader, symbolizes cooperation with a clasped hands gesture using an envelope he prepared... President Moon introduces a handwritten plaque by former President Rhee Seung-man

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "Joo Ho-young, the floor leader, may you be blessed." On the 28th, President Moon Jae-in offered a blessing to Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the Future United Party, while taking a walk on the back hill of the Blue House after a luncheon meeting at Sangchunjae. Including Kim Tae-nyeon, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the three participants of the Blue House meeting headed toward the Stone Seated Buddha statue on the back hill of the Blue House, guided by President Moon.

Kang Min-seok, the Blue House spokesperson, explained, "The treasured Stone Seated Buddha statue is a Buddhist statue from the Unified Silla period and is located at the highest point of the Blue House," adding, "Although President Moon is a Catholic, he and First Lady Kim Jung-sook visit Buddhist statues on weekends to make offerings."

President Moon’s blessing to Floor Leader Joo came during the moment when he was showing Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon the offering box and said, "If you put it in here, you will be blessed." Floor Leader Kim’s religion is Christianity. Observing their conversation, Floor Leader Joo, a Buddhist, took an envelope from his suit jacket and said, "I prepared this for both you, Mr. President, and Floor Leader Kim," and placed the envelope into the offering box.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Witnessing this scene, President Moon offered a blessing to Floor Leader Joo. Spokesperson Kang said, "Afterwards, the President and the floor leaders from both ruling and opposition parties stood in front of the Buddha statue with their hands pressed together in prayer and bowed three times," adding, "President Moon is Catholic, Floor Leader Kim is Christian, and Floor Leader Joo is Buddhist." The scene of three people from different religions praying together can be seen as a symbol of cooperation and unity.

At this gathering, President Moon also explained the background of how the Stone Seated Buddha statue came to be at the Blue House. The stone Buddha statue, originally located in the home of a Japanese noble in Gyeongju, was presented to the Governor-General of Korea at the time and moved to the Governor-General’s residence on Namsan in Seoul. When the Governor-General’s residence was relocated to the site of the Blue House, the statue was moved to its current location during the construction of the residence under former President Roh Tae-woo.

Spokesperson Kang said, "President Moon also shared the precious story of how this treasure was almost taken away by the Japanese," explaining, "The Governor-General of Korea tried to take the stone Buddha statue to Japan, but the Dong-A Ilbo and others wrote critical articles, and the Buddhist and cultural communities rose up to protect the treasure."

After viewing the Stone Seated Buddha statue, President Moon headed toward Ounjeong (Five Clouds Pavilion), a pavilion from the Joseon Dynasty. On the way to Ounjeong, President Moon told Floor Leader Kim that if the National Assembly convenes on time, he would carry him on his back. Spokesperson Kang clarified, "The offer to carry him was not only directed at Floor Leader Kim."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Upon arriving at Ounjeong, President Moon pointed to the nameplate and told Floor Leader Joo to check who wrote it. The calligraphy on the Ounjeong nameplate was written by former President Rhee Syngman. Spokesperson Kang added, "This was an introduction of President Rhee Syngman to the opposition floor leader."

On the 29th, President Moon instructed Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Kang Ki-jung to promote regular meetings between the ruling and opposition parties.

Meanwhile, First Lady Kim Jung-sook gifted dinner dishes to the floor leaders of both parties. Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok explained, "First Lady Kim Jung-sook presented carefully prepared culinary gifts to the floor leaders of both parties," adding, "The menu was assorted seafood braised beef shank. This braised dish, combining meat, seafood, and vegetables, was prepared with the hope for harmony."

Spokesperson Kang added, "First Lady Kim wrapped the food containers in blue and pink bojagi cloths, representing the party colors of the two parties. The blue bojagi was given to Floor Leader Joo Ho-young, and the pink bojagi to Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon, symbolizing a wish for cooperation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.