Former President Moon Jae-in met with Kim Min-seok, the leader of the Democratic Party, on August 19, expressing concern over factional conflicts that have arisen during the party convention. Moon stated, "There is deep internal injury among party members," and urged for inclusiveness and unity within the party.
After the meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes, Chief Spokesperson Park Sung-jun told reporters that Moon emphasized the need for Kim to make special efforts to achieve harmony and inclusiveness within the party.
Park also noted that Kim, during his tenure as head of the Democratic Research Institute, had internalized Moon's assertion that "attitude is the essence of politics." He added that this message about language, attitude, and dignity is a crucial virtue for future politics.
Moon's concerns about the need to guard against mockery and contempt within the party were also highlighted. According to Park, Moon pointed out that "the prevalence of mockery, contempt, and hatred exacerbates internal conflicts," to which Kim responded, "The foundation of unity is debate in politics. I will ensure that language of mockery, hatred, and contempt does not prevail through campaigns and my role within the party."
Since taking office on August 17, Kim has been actively engaging in various activities. On the morning of the meeting, he met with Jeon Jae-soo, the mayor of Busan from the Democratic Party, and immediately chaired a field Supreme Council meeting at the Busan City Party. He later paid tribute at the grave of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun in Bongha Village, Gimhae, and also visited former First Lady Kwon Yang-sook. Kim is scheduled to visit Gangneung in Gangwon Province on August 21 and attend a high-level party-government meeting on August 23.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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