President Moon: "No Need for Negotiation When Exchanging Kind Words... Let Yoon Decide Directly" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Amid stalled coordination for a meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, President Moon emphasized "unconditional dialogue" on the 24th and demanded that "the President-elect make the judgment directly."

According to the Blue House, President Moon said this during a morning staff meeting, stating, "I am frustrated and want to say one more thing."

President Moon revealed his thoughts, saying, "I am the outgoing president soon to step down, and President-elect Yoon is the person who will become the new president. What kind of negotiation is needed when the two meet to greet each other, exchange pleasantries, and perhaps share some helpful words?"

He continued, "This is not about holding talks," and pointed out, "I have never heard that a negotiation or conditions were necessary when a president-elect visits the president."

He then requested that President-elect Yoon come to the meeting, saying, "Please do not listen to others and make the judgment yourself."

This appears to express frustration over the lack of a meeting despite surpassing the longest period in history without one. A senior Blue House official explained the background of the remarks, saying, "Besides the negotiation line of Lee Cheol-hee and Jang Je-won, I think the president was mindful of many others who have made related comments."

However, on the same morning, President-elect Yoon expressed dissatisfaction with President Moon's personnel decisions, stating, "It is not desirable for the Moon administration to make personnel appointments for people who will work with the next government."

In response, a Blue House official said, "Personnel appointments are the president's prerogative until the end of their term," adding, "The President-elect can exercise personnel authority as the next president until the end of the current president's term."

The official also referred to former Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn making personnel decisions until the end of his term, emphasizing, "This is both a legal authority granted within the term and a legal obligation that must be fulfilled."

The official conveyed that President Moon said, "A meeting between the president and the president-elect is something that the president-elect himself should feel very good about," and added, "Just seeing the president and the president-elect meet, smile brightly, and shake hands should bring a smile to the faces of the people themselves."

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