When Will President Moon and the Ruling Party's Presidential Candidate Lee Jae-myung Meet?

Ongoing Noise in Yeo Primary Election, Interest in Timing of Presidential Meeting... Lee Jae-myung's Resignation Timing as Presidential Candidate Also a Variable

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min, Lee Ji-eun, Gu Chae-eun] Amid ongoing controversy over the Democratic Party primary dispute, attention is focused on whether and when President Moon Jae-in and presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung (current Governor of Gyeonggi Province) will officially meet. A meeting between President Moon and candidate Lee carries political significance in calming internal party strife.

Compared to past cases of former presidents, if the meeting is delayed, questions about its ‘political implications’ may increase. It could be interpreted that the Blue House is distancing itself from the ruling party’s internal controversy.

Looking at recent cases of meetings between presidents and ruling party presidential candidates, the time taken ranged from as short as 2 days to as long as about 2 weeks. Then-President Lee Myung-bak held a private meeting at the Blue House on September 2, 2012, 13 days after Park Geun-hye, the Saenuri Party presidential candidate, was nominated on August 20. The two discussed state affairs in a confidential meeting lasting about 100 minutes at the Blue House.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the case of President Kim Dae-jung, he met with Roh Moo-hyun, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, at the Blue House on April 29, 2002, just two days after Roh’s nomination on April 27. At that time, the meeting was arranged as a visit by Roh and the Democratic Party leadership, including Han Hwa-gap, to President Kim, thus facilitating a ‘president-ruling party presidential candidate’ meeting.

In the past, the political system had the president also serving as the ruling party leader, so there was less burden surrounding such meetings. However, after the party leader system was abolished in the early 2000s, issues of political neutrality could arise. During the 2012 meeting between President Lee and candidate Park, the opposition criticized it as a violation of election neutrality.

The internal atmosphere at the Blue House is that if a request comes from candidate Lee’s side, they will positively consider a meeting. Regarding the ruling party’s presidential primary, President Moon already conveyed his intentions through a congratulatory message immediately after the candidate was confirmed on the 10th. President Moon said, "I am pleased that the primary process proceeded smoothly," and congratulated Lee Jae-myung on his nomination as a Democratic Party member.

If President Moon and Lee Jae-myung meet, not only the timing but also the format will attract attention. It is a point of curiosity whether it will be a private meeting or a meeting with the ruling party leadership. There is also interest in whether the first meeting will take place while Lee maintains his position as governor.

A representative from Lee Jae-myung’s presidential campaign said, "There will soon be a meeting of provincial governors and the president, so it seems they will meet naturally," adding, "The Blue House may review and coordinate the schedule, so we are monitoring the situation." If Lee complies with the ruling party’s request for an ‘early resignation from the governorship,’ it is expected to become a variable in scheduling a meeting with President Moon.

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