Dinner Meeting Scheduled at Yangsan Residence on the 25th
Sensitive Reactions from Lawmakers Amid Political Controversy
Former President Moon Jae-in is reported to hold a dinner meeting on the 25th with some Democratic Party members from the Blue House at his residence in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, sparking outrage among pro-Moon (친문) lawmakers.
Some lawmakers are upset because the meeting, where they visit the president for dinner, was reported as if it were a strategic meeting for next year's general election. However, there are also opinions that even a simple meeting inevitably carries political significance ahead of the general election.
On the 8th, Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Gun-young wrote on his social media, "Reporters should write articles, not novels. Especially, they should not write hopeful or fabricated stories they wish to see happen," and raised his voice, saying, "'A few Blue House alumni lawmakers who we usually could not visit decided to visit Yangsan,' but the article was twisted into 'the president convened the meeting.' It's a completely different story."
Earlier, Chosun Ilbo reported that former President Moon, through lawmaker Yoon, gathered Democratic Party lawmakers from the Blue House for a dinner to discuss countermeasures for public sentiment in the metropolitan area.
However, Yoon refuted this as a "false article," saying, "I have never heard that the president asked to meet lawmakers after his retirement." He also countered, "In the lawmakers' group chat, the discussion about 'the metropolitan public sentiment is bad, so let's study the causes' was twisted into a pro-Moon faction's general election strategy meeting."
Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung also shared Yoon's explanation, criticizing, "This article is truly unprecedented," and pointed out, "Discussion? Presentation? Presidential convocation? Nothing is correct."
Pro-Myeong (친명) Democratic Party lawmaker Min Hyung-bae also raised his voice, saying, "What on earth is the reason for dragging a former president into such absurd imagination?" and demanded, "Do they 'convene' meetings? This is too much. Retract the article immediately and apologize."
At a time ahead of the general election, the meeting between former President Moon and Blue House alumni lawmakers inevitably attracts political attention. Even if the parties involved explain it as a "simple dinner," given the factional conflicts within the Democratic Party, it could be interpreted as a pro-Moon faction rallying.
Political commentator Jang Sung-chul, director of the Public Opinion Center, said on CBS's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" that "Former President Moon does not want to be treated as a forgotten person but wants to be deeply involved in current politics or maintain influence, or the pro-Moon faction is trying to become a political force, showing unity for next year's nominations. Such political interpretations are inevitable."
Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-seok also said, "It's just a meal with former Blue House staff, but political meaning is inevitably attached to such a gathering," adding, "Moreover, since the Democratic Party is facing various internal and external crises, there could be misunderstandings that the former president and the pro-Moon faction, the past ruling forces, are preparing a kind of Plan B or contingency plan."
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