The Reason Cho Kuk Shared a Photo Taken with Lee Jae-myung 10 Years Ago

"Sympathizing with the End of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime... We Have Stood Together"
"We Must Follow the Path of 'Gudongjoni' (Seeking Common Ground While Preserving Differences)"

"There was no disagreement on ending the ruthless and incompetent Yoon Seok-yeol-Kim Geon-hee joint regime and rebuilding a country where people's livelihoods are prioritized."

Jo Guk, leader of the Jo Guk Innovation Party, emphasized that he and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party of Korea have overcome trials and hardships together for a very long time, so any attempts to sow discord would be futile. After an unplanned private meeting on the 1st, the two shared the same message on SNS, revealing a cooperative atmosphere.

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential candidate (left), and Cho Kuk, the leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, are meeting and taking a photo in the Seongnam Mayor's office in December 2014.
[Photo by Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party Facebook]

On the 4th, Jo posted on his Facebook, "There has been much speculation regarding the recent two-hour private conversation initiated by Candidate Lee," adding, "At that time, we had a serious and sincere discussion about the multi-national crisis originating from Yongsan (the Presidential Office) and its resolution measures."

This was a criticism of speculative reports that followed the meeting, such as "Representative Lee Jae-myung got entangled in Jo Guk's Facebook," and "Ahead of the first trial verdict, Representative Lee agreed to relax the conditions for the parliamentary negotiation group to receive help from Jo Guk."

He also explained, "Even before the meeting on the 2nd, Candidate Lee said on a YouTube live broadcast that the relationship between the Democratic Party and the Innovation Party is like the Chinese character '人' (person), meaning they lean on each other," and "That day, we were also concerned together that the media, some supporters of both parties, and some YouTubers were trying to divide and sow discord between Lee Jae-myung and Jo Guk, and between the Democratic Party and the Jo Guk Innovation Party."

He further stated, "Some supporters of both parties were trying to divide and sow discord between Lee Jae-myung and Jo Guk, and between the Democratic Party and the Jo Guk Innovation Party," adding, "Productive debate and competition between the two sides should be welcomed, not suppressed. Going forward, both sides must follow the path of 'Gudongjon-i' (求同存異), seeking common ground while preserving differences."

He then shared a photo taken together with Candidate Lee in December 2014 at the Seongnam Mayor's office. Jo said, "At that time, Lee was an administrator who prioritized people's livelihoods, and I had no intention of becoming a politician, but since then, the two of us have faced fate and overcome trials and hardships while upholding our respective values."

In response, Candidate Lee shared Jo's post and photo on his SNS, highlighting their relationship by saying, "Already 10 years ago."