Jung Kyujae Reveals Luncheon with Lee: "Xi Jinping to Attend Gyeongju APEC"

President Lee Jae Myung Holds Luncheon with Jung Kyujae and Cho Gabje
Jung Kyujae Shares Details of the Meeting on His YouTube Channel
On Democratic Party Leadership Race: "Whoever Wins Is on My Side"

President Lee Jae Myung is waving to citizens as he leaves a Korean restaurant near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the evening of the 11th. Photo by Yonhap News

Jung Kyujae, former editor-in-chief of the Korea Economic Daily, stated on July 12 that President Lee Jae Myung mentioned Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju.

Jung relayed this statement through his YouTube channel, 'Jung Kyujae TV,' explaining it was something he heard during a luncheon with President Lee the previous day.

The previous day, President Lee had invited Jung, who is considered a leading conservative commentator, and Cho Gabje, CEO of Chogabje.com, to the presidential office in Yongsan for a luncheon that lasted about two hours.

During the meeting, according to Jung, President Lee also remarked, "U.S. President Donald Trump should also attend the APEC summit, but it seems a decision has not yet been made."

Jung further reported that President Lee said, "We may be able to negotiate trade with the United States faster than Japan," and explained that President Lee commented, "Japan has little to exchange with the U.S., and since it is the Japanese House of Councillors election period, negotiations are not progressing, making it difficult to form a common consensus."

Regarding whether he would attend China's Victory Day event, Jung said President Lee stated, "A decision has not been made yet." The Victory Day event is scheduled to be held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 3, and President Lee is reportedly invited to attend.

Jung also conveyed that when former President Park Geun Hye attended the Victory Day event, the only other attendees were Russian President Vladimir Putin, criminals, and African leaders wanted by the International Criminal Court. Jung said he got the impression that President Lee is considering the issue of attending the Victory Day event very carefully, as he expressed the view that "former President Park went too far."

Regarding Lee Jinsook, the nominee for Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, who has been accused of plagiarism in her students' theses, Jung quoted President Lee as saying, "I did not personally recommend her; she was recommended to me, but it seems there are some issues, so I feel sorry about it."

Jung also said that when he asked, "What about Jin Sook (Lee Jinsook, Chairperson of the Korea Communications Commission)?", President Lee commented, "There will probably be a political decision soon."

Jung reported that regarding the terms of the president and the heads of institutions under public enterprises, President Lee said, "It is appropriate for their terms to be within the president's term."

When asked, "Among the Democratic Party leadership candidates, who would you like to see become the leader?", President Lee reportedly smiled and replied, "Whoever wins is my side." When asked a follow-up question, "Isn't there someone you feel more comfortable with?", Jung said President Lee answered, "No, there isn't. I like both of them very much, and I think it will be interesting no matter who becomes the leader."

Jung also reported that there was a legal discussion regarding whether former President Yoon Suk Yeol could be charged with foreign exchange crimes.

Additionally, Jung said that when he commented, "Investment is important for revitalizing the economy," President Lee responded, "I plan to meet with large corporations soon," and added, "I will ease regulations so that companies can invest without hesitation."