Yoon Makes First Call to Check on Lee Jae-myung's Hospitalization Since Summit Meeting

President Yoon Prays for Lee's Recovery
Lee Takes Leave and Treatment from 9th to 15th

On the 8th, President Yoon Suk-yeol called Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, to express his regards and wish him a speedy recovery.

The Democratic Party announced to the media in the afternoon that "President Yoon called Leader Lee around 2:40 PM to check on his health, and Leader Lee expressed his gratitude for the concern." This was the first phone call between President Yoon and Leader Lee since their summit meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 29th of last month.

Kwon Hyuk-ki, Director of Political Planning at the Democratic Party leader’s office, told reporters at the National Assembly, "President Yoon made the call after seeing reports that Leader Lee was hospitalized," adding, "This was their first call since the summit meeting on the 29th."

Leader Lee will take a leave of absence starting the next day until the 15th to undergo inpatient treatment that had been postponed due to the general election schedule. He is known to be hospitalized at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The specific illness or symptoms have not been disclosed. It is unrelated to the stabbing incident in January, but it is reported that symptoms requiring treatment were found during examinations.

During the call, aside from exchanging regards, there was no mention of President Yoon’s upcoming 2nd anniversary press conference or the next summit meeting scheduled for the following day. Some in the political sphere evaluated that the call between President Yoon and Leader Lee established a hotline between the two sides following the summit meeting.

President Yoon Seok-yeol listening to remarks by Representative Lee Jae-myung
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Photo by Hong Hae-in = President Yoon Seok-yeol is listening to remarks by Representative Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea during a summit meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on April 29, 2024.
hihong@yna.co.kr
(End)


＜Copyright(c) Yonhap News Agency, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, AI training and use prohibited＞