Dinner Meeting of Old and New Powers at Sangchunjae
Moon Two Steps Ahead, Yoon Following... Gradually Getting Closer
Moon Leads Conversation Explaining Sangchunjae's Meaning
Red Wine Served at Dinner Table
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-youl began at 5:59 PM on the 28th.
President Moon arrived one minute earlier in front of Cheongwadae Yeomin 1 Hall and waited for President-elect Yoon, whose vehicle arrived at 5:59 PM.
President Moon wore a navy suit with a blue diagonal striped tie, while President-elect Yoon wore a slightly darker navy suit with a plain pink tie.
After stepping out of the car, President-elect Yoon shook hands with President Moon. President Moon walked a step or two ahead toward the meeting place, Sangchunjae, along the Nokjiwon path, followed by President-elect Yoon. Sangchunjae is the only traditional Korean-style house (hanok) building within the Cheongwadae grounds.
As they approached Sangchunjae, the distance between the two gradually narrowed. While walking, President Moon pointed to a pine tree in the middle of Nokjiwon and explained, "This is our best garden."
After about a minute's walk, they arrived at Sangchunjae. President Moon pointed to the right side of Sangchunjae and said to President-elect Yoon, "The plum blossoms have bloomed there," to which President-elect Yoon responded, "They are really beautiful."
Pointing to the Sangchunjae nameplate, President Moon said, "It always represents spring and probably reflects the hope that the people feel at ease." He explained, "Since there are no hanok buildings in Cheongwadae, this building is symbolic in many ways. It also has a nice yard and is used for various events." President-elect Yoon replied, "Yes."
Admiring the beauty of Sangchunjae, President-elect Yoon pointed to a Cornus officinalis tree on the left side of Sangchunjae and said, "I don't know what kind of flower that is," to which President Moon replied, "That's Sansuyu (Cornus officinalis)."
President Moon and President-elect Yoon then turned around together, looked over the view of Nokjiwon, and entered Sangchunjae.
According to Cheongwadae, the dinner menu for the day included ▲ seafood cold dish with webfoot octopus, surf clams, and abalone ▲ Haesong pine nut porridge ▲ Korean beef ribs with warm vegetables ▲ grilled golden tilefish and fresh sashimi ▲ spring vegetable bibimbap ▲ clam and island vegetable soybean paste soup ▲ fruits, sujeonggwa (cinnamon punch), napa cabbage kimchi, cucumber kimchi, tangpyeongchae (seasoned vegetable dish), and grilled deodeok. Red wine was served as the alcoholic beverage.
Both sides are expected to have candid discussions on various topics during the dinner, including the pardon of former presidents, relocation of the presidential office, and supplementary budget (additional budget).
In particular, the president-elect's side stated in a briefing that morning, "President-elect Yoon intends to take an attitude of unlimited responsibility for the people's livelihood above all else," adding, "There are many pressing livelihood issues, but especially the COVID-19 loss compensation promised to the people will likely require cooperation and support from Cheongwadae."
The government had previously stated that it would not submit a second supplementary budget bill to the National Assembly during President Moon's term.
Additionally, broad discussions are expected on issues such as the pardon of former President Lee Myung-bak, which President-elect Yoon pledged to propose for national unity, the execution of contingency funds related to the relocation of the presidential office, and personnel matters.
Present at the meeting were Yoo Young-min, Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, and Jang Je-won, Chief of Staff for the President-elect.
The face-to-face meeting between President Moon and President-elect Yoon is the first in 21 months since the Anti-Corruption Policy Council held at Cheongwadae in June 2020. It took place 19 days after the presidential election, making it the latest meeting between a sitting president and president-elect in history.
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