Former President Moon Jae-in and President Lee Jae Myung stroll through the grounds of the Blue House on July 1, 2026. (Park Jong-shik/Hankyoreh)
During a luncheon at the Blue House on Wednesday, Korean President Lee Jae Myung and former President Moon Jae-in called for unity in the ruling Democratic Party and stressed that “hurting each other with gossip and pejoratives doesn’t serve anybody’s interests.”The former and current presidents issued their appeal at a time of intensifying factional strife leading up to the Democratic Party’s convention on Aug. 17, with would-be leaders bickering over who is the rightful heir.Lee invited Moon to the Blue House on Wednesday for a two-hour luncheon, which was their first at Korea’s presidential residence since Lee became president.Lee and Moon agreed on the need for the Democratic Party to come together.“National unity is another task the Lee administration has been given. But for the nation to come together as one, the Democratic Party must first be united, along with the democratic reform front and the groups who stood together in the Revolution of Light,” Moon said, referring to the protest movement that arose in the aftermath of the 2024 martial law crisis. Lee responded by saying, “Since we’re in power, we need to pursue a politics that works for everybody. Internal unity is also critical. There needs to be a constant effort to expand our coalition and build a structural majority.”Hong Ik-pyo, the senior secretary to the president for political affairs, told reporters after the luncheon that Lee and Moon had “agreed to join forces to bring the nation together.”“They agreed that unity inside the Democratic Party is a prerequisite for getting more results and bringing about tangible changes and pledged to work together for national unity,” Hong said.“They agreed that hurting each other with rumors and pejoratives doesn’t serve anybody’s interests. Since aggressive phrases and insulting pejoratives are hurtful, they might give you a leg up in competition but will make it harder to come together down the road,” he went on.Lee and Moon, who have both been elected as president from the Democratic Party, were sending the unmistakable message that frontrunners for party leadership must stop mudslinging and squabbling over who best embodies the party’s traditions.After Lee and Moon’s meeting, the three leading candidates party leadership — former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, former party leader Jung Chung-rae and lawmaker Song Young-gil — all promised to “strive for unity and togetherness and for a broader coalition.”By Goh Gyoung-ju, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
