Lee Nak-yeon Predicts "Inter-Korean Summit at Beijing Olympics in February Next Year"

Lee Nak-yeon "Xi Jinping Likely Wants to Mediate Inter-Korean Summit"
To Lee Jae-myung: "Need Different Knives for Killing Chicken and Cow"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Lee Nak-yeon, former leader of the Democratic Party and a leading presidential candidate from the ruling party, predicted that "the most likely time for a North-South summit is the Beijing Winter Olympics in February next year."

Amid rising expectations on the 27th that the restoration of the inter-Korean communication line might lead to a North-South summit, Lee said in an interview with a media outlet on the 30th, "If it is Chinese President Xi Jinping, he would definitely want to mediate a North-South summit."

Regarding President Xi, he said, "He would naturally want to contribute to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and demonstrate global leadership," adding, "I hope official talks open soon. The location can be Panmunjom or elsewhere."

On the other hand, a senior Blue House official responded in a written Q&A with reporters on the 27th to questions about whether there were plans for face-to-face contact between the leaders or if it was mentioned in letters, stating, "There has been no discussion about face-to-face contact between the two leaders." When asked about plans for a video summit between the North and South Korean leaders, the official also said, "There has been no discussion about a video summit between the two leaders."

Meanwhile, Lee expressed hope for Pope Francis's visit to North Korea. He said, "When President Moon Jae-in went to the United States, he met Cardinal Gregory, a close aide to the Pope. There must have been an exchange of opinions about the Pope's visit to North Korea." He added, "If President Moon attends the G20 summit in Rome, Italy, this fall, it is customary to have an audience with the Pope. I hope some dialogue will take place there."

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung (left) and former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province and a rival in the presidential race, Lee Nak-yeon criticized, "The knife used to kill a chicken and the knife used to kill a cow are different."

This was a counterattack to Lee Jae-myung's earlier remark, "Will you choose a highly qualified but incompetent person, or someone with proven capability through achievements?" Lee Nak-yeon responded, "I have never heard that I am incompetent at any task," adding, "Rather, I was criticized for causing inconvenience to those around me because I was too focused on work."

He continued, "I want to ask those who made such remarks what kind of work they have done," explaining, "Lee Jae-myung said he was actively promoting basic income and took the lead in valley maintenance, but he himself admitted that these were not true."

Regarding the close contest with Lee Jae-myung in the Honam region, he expressed confidence, saying, "Cautiously, the residents of the Honam region have started to make up their minds firmly," and added, "This is largely due to them seeing more of the candidates' true selves and carefully considering the possibility of victory."