President Lee, Talks with Conservative Elders Jo Gap-je and Jeong Gyu-jae... "Sought Advice on the Path to Unity"

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung had lunch with veteran journalist Jo Gap-je, representative of Jo Gap-je.com, and Jeong Gyu-jae, former chief editor of Korea Economic Daily, at the presidential office on the 11th. The meeting lasted about two hours, during which a wide range of topics including politics, diplomacy, economy, education, and national defense were discussed in a free atmosphere.
On this day, Lee Kyu-yeon, Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the presidential office, said in a briefing, "President Lee expressed his commitment to leading national unity as the president of all Korea and sought the participation and wisdom of journalists." Representative Jo said, "I like how President Lee Jae-myung works brightly, as his name suggests," quoting novelist Lee Byung-joo's phrase, "When the sun fades, it becomes history, and when it is dyed by moonlight, it becomes a subject."
Former chief editor Jeong emphasized the need to improve the investment environment, saying, "Companies should be able to grow stably even in local areas," and President Lee responded by saying, "I will focus on improving the business environment in local areas." Former chief editor Jeong also proposed granting tax benefits for donations or inheritances if they are for investment purposes. The president expressed a principled agreement on this.
Representative Jo advocated for strengthening Chinese character education and incorporating military culture into education, while former chief editor Jeong proposed training conscripts as advanced technical personnel. President Lee expressed agreement, saying, "I will cultivate our military into a smart strong army."
Politically sensitive issues were mostly not mentioned. Regarding Korea-U.S., Korea-China, and Korea-Japan relations, the two journalists offered diplomatic strategy advice by reviewing decades of historical trends, and the president was reported to have listened attentively. On the other hand, there was no specific mention of pardons for politicians like former Minister Cho Kuk, investigations into the opposition party, special prosecutors, or Bank of Korea Governor Lee Chang-yong. Senior Secretary Lee said, "A dignified conversation took place," adding, "There was more advice on history, diplomacy, and system-level issues than on specific current issues."
Meanwhile, the meeting was realized based on the connection President Lee had with the two journalists during his presidential candidacy. It was explained that the president's suggestion at the time, "Let's meet once after the election," actually came to fruition.

west@fnnews.com Sung Seok-woo Reporter