Will the Moon-Kim Meeting Gain Momentum... Kim Tae-nyeon Says, "Do We Bargain Over Conditions in a 'Childish' Situation?"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Regarding the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the United Future Party, Choi Jae-sung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, and Joo Ho-young, Floor Leader of the United Future Party, met to exchange opinions. At this meeting, Senior Secretary Choi asked Floor Leader Joo to facilitate the talks smoothly, but Floor Leader Joo emphasized cooperation. This meeting has increased the possibility of the talks gaining momentum, but there are also views that the conditions set by Chairman Kim could still be an obstacle.

On the 20th, Floor Leader Joo met with Senior Secretary Choi at the National Assembly for a private meeting and expressed concerns, saying, "There is an external evaluation that President Moon does not actually have the will for cooperation or coexistence, but only gives the appearance of it." According to Bae Hyun-jin, spokesperson for the United Future Party, Senior Secretary Choi asked Floor Leader Joo to "once again facilitate the meeting between Chairman Kim and President Moon smoothly."

This was the first meeting since Senior Secretary Choi was appointed. Right after his appointment, Senior Secretary Choi tried to pay a courtesy visit to Floor Leader Joo, but it was postponed as Floor Leader Joo was absent due to flood recovery efforts. On the 13th, Senior Secretary Choi visited Chairman Kim and expressed the President’s intention to invite the party leader, but the United Future Party rejected it, saying it was "just a passing remark suggesting a meal," so the meeting did not materialize.

The Blue House and the United Future Party, who had been engaged in a truth game over the responsibility for the "failed meeting," are now trying to hold talks again as Chairman Kim conditionally accepted the meeting. The condition is to meet one-on-one and have a substantive agenda to justify the talks. Senior Secretary Choi expressed expectations, saying, "The United Future Party’s Chairman Kim and Floor Leader Joo are open to dialogue, so cooperation is expected to proceed smoothly."

However, whether the Blue House will accept the conditions set by Chairman Kim remains uncertain. This is because the United Future Party may bring up the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship card to demonstrate sincerity in cooperation. On the 19th, Hong Seok-jun, a United Future Party lawmaker, appeared on tbs’s "Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory" and said, "After Floor Leader Joo’s meeting with the Blue House, President Moon emphasized cooperation, raising expectations within the party, but during negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties, we were blindsided on many issues, including the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship." This implies that to show willingness for cooperation, the opposition should have been conceded the Judiciary Committee Chairmanship.

The ruling party is also pressuring Chairman Kim not to set conditions. Kim Tae-nyeon, Floor Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said at the Supreme Council meeting on the 21st, "If the United Future Party has any justification or conditions, please clarify them. Starting with conditions now is a frivolous attitude from the public’s perspective," and added, "To overcome the emergency situation, the ruling and opposition parties must urgently talk and cooperate."

He said, "It is necessary for the President and the ruling and opposition parties to meet suddenly, discuss overcoming the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus infection) crisis, and agree on measures to restore people’s livelihoods with a practical approach," adding, "Like the old saying 'Cheolbuji-geup' (referring to a desperate situation like a crucian carp trapped in a wheel rut), now is a time when even a sip of water is desperately needed."

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