[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The luncheon meeting at the Blue House between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-youl, scheduled for the 16th, was abruptly postponed. This comes just one day after conflicts between the Blue House and the President-elect’s camp surfaced over issues such as public enterprise appointments and the abolition of the Civil Affairs Office. As the new and old powers clash head-on, ripples are expected in the political landscape during this regime transition period.
Park Kyung-mi, spokesperson for the Blue House, stated that day, "The meeting between President Moon and President-elect Yoon was postponed because practical consultations have not been completed, and the schedule will be rescheduled." Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the President-elect, also told reporters that the schedule was delayed due to practical consultations.
Neither side disclosed specific reasons regarding the ‘practical consultations.’ However, when prospects arose that the President-elect’s side might discuss issues including the pardon of former President Lee Myung-bak and appointments in public enterprises, interpretations emerged that the Blue House expressed displeasure.
Before the meeting, demands for pardoning former President Lee Myung-bak grew strongly, mainly from the transition committee and opposition parties. When opposition lawmakers raised the possibility of a ‘package pardon’ including Governor Kim Kyung-soo of Gyeongnam Province, the Blue House reportedly put the brakes on.
A senior Blue House official said, "The basic reason for such meetings by past presidents has been to congratulate the President-elect and exchange pleasantries," adding, "The meeting itself is meant to send a hopeful message of national unity, but I don’t understand why it has become so agenda-driven this time."
Additionally, the President-elect’s camp mentioning the abolition of the Civil Affairs Office among reform tasks and suggesting that "we should be consulted" on public enterprise appointments seemed to provoke the Blue House. A Blue House official expressed displeasure over the President-elect’s remarks the previous day, saying, "It is natural for (President Moon) to exercise personnel authority during his term."
The meeting is expected to be postponed until next week. However, since significant differences in opinions on the discussion agenda have been confirmed, the power struggle between the two sides is unlikely to subside easily. A Blue House official predicted, "Discussions will naturally continue during the week, and the meeting will be postponed to next week." The practical consultations related to the meeting will be handled by Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, and Jang Je-won, Chief Secretary to the President-elect.
If practical consultations between the transition committee and the Blue House are prolonged, the period until the meeting between the President and the President-elect could become the longest on record. Historically, meetings between sitting presidents and President-elects have taken place within 10 days after the election. President Kim Dae-jung and President-elect Roh Moo-hyun met after 4 days, while President Roh Moo-hyun and President-elect Lee Myung-bak, and President Lee Myung-bak and President-elect Park Geun-hye met after 9 days.
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