SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) — South Korean President Moon Jae-in Monday, while preparing the budget for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s plan to relocate the presidential office, promised Cheong Wa Dae at the first meeting between the two sides since Yoon’s election, according to Chang Je-won, Yoon’s chief of staff.
Moon also said it is up to the new government to decide where the presidential office will move, Chang added during a press conference after the business lunch at Cheong Wa Dae, which lasted 2 hours and 51 minutes.
The comments contrast with an earlier concerned stance from Moon’s office over Yoon’s plan to close the presidential office by 10 a.m. during which tensions are rising on the Korean peninsula.
Chang said President Moon believes that determining the area where the presidential office will move is a decision of the new government, and the current government will carefully monitor the necessary budget of the detailed relocation plan and cooperate.
The dinner at Cheong Wa Dae came 19 days after the election of Yoon by the main opposition People’s Power Party (PPP) to succeed President Moon in the March 9 elections, the longest period before a meeting between the outgoing and the marked new President.
Chang also said the issue of pardoning former President Lee Myung-bak was not raised during the dinner. The ex-president is serving a prison sentence for corruption.
The official also said there have been no discussions about specific personnel nominations, although both Moon and Yoon have asked Chang himself and Lee Cheol-hee, Moon’s chief secretary for political affairs, to consult closely on the matter.
It was widely believed that Yoon asked Moon to draw up an additional supplementary budget to help SMEs hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The two parties agreed on the need for the additional budget but did not provide details on it.
Moon shook Yoon’s hand after the president-elect’s arrival in Cheong Wa Dae. Without removing their masks, the two walked through the garden and exchanged comments about the flowers and buildings in Cheong Wa Dae before entering the meeting room.
The two had originally planned to meet on March 16, but the plan was canceled at the last minute after the two sides failed to reach agreement on several issues, including appointing staff to key posts and a proposed pardon for the former president Lee Myung Bak.
Tensions between the two sides continued to escalate after Moon’s office raised concerns about Yoon’s plan to move the presidency from Cheong Wa Dae, and Moon went ahead and made a nomination for Governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK, to match his English acronym) . .
Monday’s meeting was arranged after Moon offered to meet Yoon at the “earliest possible” date, with Yoon expressing hopes of meeting without an agenda and having a “sincere” dialogue, according to officials from both sides.
The meeting also comes as tensions have risen on the Korean peninsula after North Korea successfully tested a massive ICBM last week, marking the first launch of an ICBM since 2017.
The launch ended the North’s self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests — a planned move that hurts Moon’s fragile peace efforts and heralds a fight for Yoon.
During Monday’s meeting, Moon and Yoon were joined by Presidential Chief of Staff You Young-min and Yoon’s Chief of Staff Chang Je-won.
In 2007, then-President Roh Moo-hyun met with then-President Lee Myung-bak nine days after his election. Also, in 2012, then-President Lee met with then-President-elect Park Geun-hye, nine days after Park’s election.
Yoon served as Attorney General under the Moon administration, but their relationship soured when prosecutors under Yoon launched a corruption investigation into Cho Kuk, one of Moon’s closest advisers and his Minister of Justice.
Yoon joined the PPP last year and became the Conservative Party’s presidential candidate.
Before leaving, Moon presented Yoon with a tie and wished him well, saying that Yoon could always ask him for help. For his part, the president-elect wished Moon good health, according to Chang.
(GOAL)