Yoon's Surprise Talk with Former President Park Geun-hye... "Lessons from Park Chung-hee Still Reflected Today" (Comprehensive)

Unexpected Schedule... Dialogue from Normal Diplomacy to Industrial Sector
President Yoon: "On-go-ji-shin... We Must Learn from Past Experiences"
Former President Park Geun-hye: "Good Jobs Are Created by Companies"

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the residence of former President Park Geun-hye in Dalseong County, Daegu, on the 7th and engaged in a wide-ranging conversation with her. President Yoon mentioned former President Park Chung-hee and said he would learn from the export strategies of that time, while former President Park expressed interest in recent industrial sectors such as hydrogen vehicles.

According to the Blue House, President Yoon visited former President Park's residence in the afternoon and talked for 60 minutes. The meeting between the two former and current presidents was an unscheduled event, and President Yoon's surprise visit is interpreted as an effort to consolidate his core support base ahead of the general elections in April next year and to secure public sentiment in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, known as conservative strongholds.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting the residence of former President Park Geun-hye in Dalseong-gun, Daegu on the 7th, having a conversation with former President Park.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On that day, former President Park came out to the front steps to greet President Yoon. She welcomed him by saying, "Thank you for coming such a long way, please come in," to which President Yoon replied, "The garden seems better maintained than the last time I visited."

This meeting between President Yoon and former President Park came 12 days after the memorial service for the 44th anniversary of former President Park Chung-hee's passing on the 26th of last month. The two former and current presidents enjoyed tea, milk, and fruit while chatting and took a walk together in the residence garden. Their conversation ranged from light topics such as the weather, the garden, and Biseulsan Mountain in Dalseong County to diplomatic affairs and industrial sectors like hydrogen vehicles.

In particular, President Yoon said, "Reflecting on the governance during President Park Chung-hee's era, I am incorporating lessons learned into current state affairs. I found materials from the export promotion meetings chaired by President Park Chung-hee in the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's warehouse. The duplicated documents were well preserved, even bearing President Park Chung-hee's signature." President Yoon added, "Reading the export promotion meeting materials was both interesting and surprising; it was amazing how such ideas were conceived back then. It is a case of 'learning from the past to innovate the future' (온고지신)." Former President Park responded, "How did you manage to read all of that? Good jobs are created by companies, so listening to their difficulties in meetings and resolving them immediately was possible."

They also discussed diplomatic activities during former President Park's tenure. Former President Park showed interest in hydrogen vehicles, and President Yoon explained recent trends in the related industry.

As the conversation concluded, former President Park said, "You have many overseas trips, so please take good care of your health despite the accumulated fatigue." President Yoon replied, "I am glad to see your face looking better than the last time we met. I hope you stay healthy," expressing his wishes for her well-being.

Earlier, President Yoon visited a traditional market in Daegu to consolidate his support base and manage public sentiment. He visited Chilseong General Market, a representative traditional market in Daegu, and promised, "We will be a warm government for small business owners and self-employed people." President Yoon personally purchased products from various stores within the market, encouraging and supporting merchants who have been struggling due to the recent regional economic downturn. A Blue House official explained, "Through this livelihood-focused visit, President Yoon emphasized his philosophy of prioritizing small business owners and self-employed people in policy, along with his determination to steadily implement measures to ease financial burdens and revitalize domestic consumption."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting the residence of former President Park Geun-hye in Dalseong-gun, Daegu, on the afternoon of the 7th, taking a walk and talking with former President Park.
[Photo by Yonhap News]