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"No informal talks or private meetings before the meeting" Blocking Overinterpretation

President Moon Jae-in and Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae are attending the 2nd National Intelligence Service, Prosecution, and Police Reform Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 21st.

On the 21st, regarding the joint appearance of President Moon Jae-in and Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae at the meeting on reforming power institutions held by the ruling party, government, and Blue House, the Blue House clarified on the 21st that "Minister Choo was waiting outside the venue to greet (President Moon) and came in after meeting him," emphasizing that there was no prior private talk or one-on-one meeting.

A senior Blue House official told reporters on the same day that in response to a question about whether President Moon and Minister Choo had a private conversation just before the event, "There seems to be a misunderstanding," and explained accordingly.

At the 2nd Strategic Meeting on Reforming the National Intelligence Service, Prosecution, and Police held at the Blue House that day, President Moon entered alongside Minister Choo. The meeting attracted attention as it was held amid ongoing controversies surrounding Minister Choo.

Since the scene showed President Moon and Minister Choo discussing power institution reforms side by side, there were various interpretations suggesting that President Moon might be showing support for Minister Choo.

Most attendees took their seats five minutes before the event started. In contrast, Minister Choo entered exactly at 2:00 PM together with President Moon, which further fueled these interpretations.

Regarding this, a senior Blue House official explained, "Minister Choo did not greet alone but was accompanied by Chief Secretary Noh Young-min," adding, "Usually, the greeter inside the premises is the Chief Secretary, and for the Cabinet, the greeting is done according to protocol order, but this time the Minister of Justice greeted."

He continued, "It takes about 30 seconds by elevator to reach the meeting room, and even during those 30 seconds, there was no private meeting; Chief Secretary Noh Young-min was also present," he emphasized.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae is attending the 2nd National Intelligence Service, Prosecution, and Police Reform Strategy Meeting held at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 21st.

Meanwhile, the Blue House also revealed that Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide sent a reply letter on the 19th in response to President Moon’s congratulatory letter.

Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok stated at a briefing that "Prime Minister Suga expressed gratitude in his reply for President Moon’s congratulatory letter and emphasized that South Korea and Japan are important neighboring countries."

In particular, Prime Minister Suga expressed hope to overcome difficult issues and build a future-oriented relationship between South Korea and Japan.

Earlier, President Moon had sent a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister Suga on the 16th upon his inauguration.