Tak Hyun-min: "I've Never Heard Americans Criticize Trump's 'Solo Burger,' So Why Criticize Moon for Eating Alone?"

[Financial News] During his visit to Korea for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, President Donald John Trump reportedly ordered a cheeseburger via room service during his one-night, two-day stay at Hilton Gyeongju. This story has drawn attention, and Tak Hyun-min, a former Blue House protocol secretary under the Moon Jae-in administration and now a special professor at Mokpo University, commented, "People's standards are truly different."
On the 3rd, Tak appeared on Christian Broadcasting System Radio (CBS Radio)'s 'Park Jae-hong's One Shot Debate' and remarked, "Didn't Trump eat alone at the hotel? It's essentially the same as a president traveling all the way to Korea and eating a Big Mac alone in his room, but I've never heard Americans criticize him for that."
He pointed out, "Yet, there are still people who criticize Moon Jae-in for eating alone with local residents in China to emphasize his rapport with them."
Former President Moon Jae-in made a state visit to China in December 2017 during his term.
On the morning of December 14, 2017, the second day of his state visit to China, Moon, accompanied by his wife Kim Jung-sook and Ambassador Noh Young-min and his spouse, had breakfast at a local restaurant in Beijing. The meal included youtiao, doujiang (soy milk), Xiaolongbao, and Wonton Soup—dishes commonly enjoyed by Chinese locals.
Youtiao is a twisted bread made from wheat flour and deep-fried in oil, featuring a crispy exterior and a soft interior. It is a staple breakfast for ordinary Chinese citizens, typically dipped in doujiang.
At the time, the Blue House explained, "President Moon and his wife had the opportunity to experience a slice of everyday life for ordinary Chinese citizens by dining and chatting among Beijing residents, allowing them to connect with the Chinese people on a personal level."
Tak Hyun-min added, "Watching this, I realized how different people's standards can be," and expressed hope that "the so-called 'solo burger' incident involving Trump will put an end to such baseless claims."
Meanwhile, Tak also revealed, "I am preparing a YouTube program with former President Moon Jae-in to introduce books together."
Tak explained, "I will host the program, and President Moon will select and introduce the books. We plan to introduce about one or two books per week."
He continued, "There will be episodes filmed in a Seoul studio and others shot on location at Pyeongsan Bookstore. We intend to combine both formats."
He added, "The channel will be called 'Pyeongsan Bookstore,' though we haven't decided on the segment name yet. It should be available later this month."

newssu@fnnews.com Kim Su-yeon Reporter