President Lee's Luncheon with Jeong Gyu-jae and Cho Gap-je: "Will Increase Contact with Journalists"

[Financial News] It has been reported that President Lee Jae-myung met with veteran journalists Cho Gap-je and Jeong Gyu-jae to discuss the future of Korea.
Lee Gyu-yeon, the Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the Presidential Office, stated in a briefing on the 11th, "President Lee Jae-myung met with veteran journalists Cho Gap-je and Jeong Gyu-jae," adding, "President Lee expressed his commitment to becoming the President of Korea, the President of all, leading national integration, and requested the participation and wisdom of the two veteran journalists."
President Lee invited Jeong Gyu-jae, the head of 'Jeong Gyu-jae TV' (former chief editorial writer of Korea Economic Daily), and Cho Gap-je, the head of 'Cho Gap-je TV' (former editor of Monthly Chosun), whom he had promised to meet after the election during his candidacy, to a luncheon on this day, continuing the meeting for about two hours.
It is reported that Cho Gap-je introduced a phrase from novelist Lee Byeong-ju's long novel 'Sanha' during the meeting, stating that he liked the bright working style of President Lee, akin to the meaning of the last character of his name 'Myeong (明)', which means bright. The phrase was "When exposed to the sun (太陽), it becomes history, and when dyed by the moonlight (月光), it becomes a myth."
Cho brought a paper with President Lee's full name, the phrase, and 'Politics of Benevolence and Righteousness' (仁義政治) written on it and conveyed it in this manner. During the meeting, Cho also suggested, "To raise the intellectual level of the people, it would be good to strengthen basic education in Chinese characters."
Jeong Gyu-jae proposed creating a favorable environment for investment, suggesting tax benefits on investment funds during donation or inheritance, and creating a structure that supports well-performing local governments more. Senior Secretary Lee reported that President Lee responded, "I will focus on creating an environment conducive to reform even in local areas."
During the meeting, opinions related to the military were also exchanged. Cho further proposed, "Let's make the 'Dae' in 'military' (군대) into the 'Dae' in 'university' (대학) to create an army that receives education," and Jeong Gyu-jae also suggested, "Let's nurture military enlistees into advanced technology personnel," according to Senior Secretary Lee. President Lee expressed his agreement, stating, "We will develop our military into a 'smart strong army'."
Meanwhile, Senior Secretary Lee mentioned, "There was no talk related to the special prosecutor. Regarding Korea-U.S., Korea-Japan, and Korea-China relations, the two veterans mentioned historical events and figures from the past decades, suggesting what could be done," adding that there was no discussion about the pardon of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk or other political issues.
When asked about President Lee's remarks following Jeong's mention of tax benefits related to investment, donation, and inheritance, Senior Secretary Lee said, "While he agreed in principle on the need to improve the investment environment, he did not specifically mention tax benefits, inheritance, or donation."
Regarding the context of various unrelated topics being discussed, Senior Secretary Lee explained, "Think of it as a conversation covering international, political, economic, and social fields in a casual manner," adding, "It was not a structured Q&A format but a natural atmosphere of conversation."
Regarding future plans to meet with journalists, Senior Secretary Lee stated, "The President expressed his intention to actively engage with journalists, and there is a high possibility of sequential meetings with news directors and editors," adding, "Although the exact schedule has not been set, there is a plan to continue increasing contact with journalists."
When asked if there was any discussion about 'one-person media access' given that both Jeong Gyu-jae and Cho Gap-je run YouTube channels, Senior Secretary Lee said, "It is difficult to view the two as one-person media, as they have worked as journalists in Korea for at least 40 to 50 years," adding that there was no discussion about access.

going@fnnews.com Choi Ga-young Reporter