President Lee departed from Seongnam Seoul Airport for Brussels, Belgium, to attend the G7 summit.
Attendees at the farewell event included Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo, Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jin-ah, and ambassadors from the visiting countries.
However, Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae and floor leader Han Byeong-do were notably absent.
Their absence is considered unusual, as it has been customary for the party's leadership to attend the president's farewell events. Jeong had previously attended farewell events for President Lee during his trips to Japan in January and to Singapore and the Philippines in March.
Both Jeong and Han were present at the airport for the president's departure for India and Vietnam on April 19, following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.
In contrast, Prime Minister Kim's attendance at the farewell event is also seen as unusual, as he typically only attends events when the president returns.
This has led to speculation that the farewell event may carry a political message from President Lee, especially considering that Kim and Jeong are expected to compete in the party's upcoming convention in August.
The day before, during a press conference marking his first anniversary in office, President Lee made pointed remarks aimed at the Democratic Party leadership, including Jeong, while praising Prime Minister Kim's leadership.
The Blue House stated that the decision to minimize the number of attendees at the farewell event was made in light of the prolonged conflict in the Middle East and issues related to the Election Commission's management, urging against overinterpretation.
Jeong, who did not attend the farewell event, was reported to have had a private lunch with Lee Won-taek, the newly elected governor of North Jeolla Province, on the same day.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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