Lee Jae-myung to Meet Moon Jae-in and Hong Joon-pyo on Yoon's 1st Inauguration Anniversary

Sharp Criticism of President Yoon Pours Out in Conservative Strongholds

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will pay a courtesy visit to former President Moon Jae-in and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo on the 10th. Given that this day marks the first anniversary of President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration, many view Lee's trip to Yeongnam as politically significant.

Having arrived in Yeongnam on a one-night, two-day schedule starting the previous day, Lee held a Supreme Council meeting in Daegu on the morning of the 10th. Afterwards, he plans to attend the opening ceremony of the Democratic Party's Daegu city branch and then visit Mayor Hong. In the afternoon, he will visit Pyeongsan Bookstore in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, to meet with former President Moon.

Particularly, attention is focused on the political implications of Lee choosing to visit Yeongnam on the day marking President Yoon's first anniversary in office.

Both ruling and opposition parties are facing difficulties due to various political setbacks. The People Power Party canceled Supreme Council meetings consecutively due to controversies involving Supreme Council members Kim Jae-won and Tae Young-ho, while the Democratic Party is under scrutiny for moral issues related to the 2021 party convention cash envelope scandal. Kim Nam-guk, a Democratic Party lawmaker embroiled in a virtual currency holding controversy, is a member of the "7-person group" close to Lee.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In this context, Lee has delivered sharp criticism of President Yoon's governance in Gyeongbuk, a conservative stronghold and a difficult area for the Democratic Party. At a national report meeting held on the 9th in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, he said, "One year in South Korea has seen both people's livelihoods and the economy deteriorate, and diplomacy has completely failed," adding, "Peace is once again shaken, and a security crisis has arrived. Why provoke neighboring countries unnecessarily, causing security and economic crises?"

Gumi is the hometown of former President Park Chung-hee and is known for its strong conservative leanings. Amid the government's declining approval ratings due to issues such as the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water, the Democratic Party's visit to the People Power Party's stronghold appears to be an attempt to confront the crisis head-on. Lee's own hometown is also in the TK (Daegu-Gyeongbuk) region.

The figures Lee plans to visit are also political heavyweights. The meeting between the opposition leader and a former president on the first anniversary of the incumbent president's inauguration is attracting attention for the political messages that may emerge. Supporters have been continuously visiting Pyeongsan Bookstore, recently opened near former President Moon's residence, leading many to interpret the bookstore's opening itself as a form of "residential politics." The day also marks the release of the film "Moon Jae-in Imnida" ("This is Moon Jae-in"), which focuses on the former president.

Mayor Hong was a rival candidate to President Yoon during the People Power Party's presidential primary. While managing Daegu city affairs, he supports President Yoon's governance and has openly criticized risks within the party's Supreme Council, maintaining a strong presence on the central political stage. On this day, Lee is expected to discuss regional issues such as the exemption from preliminary feasibility studies for the "Dalbit Inland Railway," which connects Yeongnam and Honam, during his visit to Mayor Hong.

President Yoon marked his first anniversary with a modest schedule without a separate press conference. He spent the morning at the Yongsan Presidential Office with Cabinet members and ruling party leaders, followed by a joint luncheon.

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