By Diplomacy Journal Lee Jon-young

 

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee held a dinner with former President and Mrs. Lee Myung-bak at the Presidential Office for about three hours, starting at 6:30 p.m. on Aug.12.
 

The dinner was attended by President and Mrs. Yoon, former President and Mrs. Lee, and Presidential Secretary Chung Jin-suk. This was the first official meeting between President Yoon and former President Lee.

 

 

President and Mrs. Yoon greeted former President and Mrs. Lee as they arrived at the presidential residence for the dinner. President Yoon said, "Mr. President, how are you," and former President Lee said, "I'm glad to see you, You've been through a lot," and they shook hands.

 

As the dinner began, Yoon started the conversation with the weather in Hawaii, where he had visited the Indo-Pacific Command during his NATO tour in July, and the recent heat wave.

 

The dinner was filled with cordiality as Yoon spoke about the commonalities between the two governments.

 

"During former President Lee's tenure, we won a record 13 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing-2012 London Olympics, which is also a record," Yoon said, adding, "I am proud of the Taegeuk Warriors for their outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics." "I think the older generations should make more efforts to ease the burden that these younger generations will have to bear in the future," President Yoon added.

 

 

At the Paris Games, South Korea won 13 gold medals and a total of 32 medals, tying the most gold medals ever (13 each at Beijing 2008 and London 2012) and the most medals ever (32 at Beijing 2008) for an away Olympic Games under former President Lee Myung-bak.

 

Yoon also recalled the visit of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in May, and shared an anecdote in which he told Mohammed, "The reason why Korea-UAE relations are so good is because former President Lee Myung-bak laid the foundation," to which Mohammed strongly agreed, saying, "You are right."

 

In response, Lee recounted how Korea, which had no export experience and was at a disadvantage when it was awarded the contract to build the Barakah nuclear power plant in the UAE in December 2009, turned the tables with trust and friendship. He also said that he watched with concern as the relationship between South Korea and the UAE was in crisis under the previous government, and watched as the Yoon administration handled the crisis. "The (Yoon administration's) 24 trillion won order for the Czech nuclear power plant is a tremendous achievement," he said.

 

"Former President Lee's order to build the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE was the foundation for us to be selected as the preferred bidder for the Czech nuclear project," Yoon said, emphasizing his commitment to restoring the shattered nuclear ecosystem.

 

Regarding the recent political situation, Lee said, "The power of the ruling People Power Party is the same as that of the opposition in the structure of extreme ruling and opposition parties in the National Assembly," and that "it is most important for the party to be united in order to regain power." In particular, Lee reiterated that "the only way to get through the difficulties is through unity."

 

In addition, former President Lee cited the story of how the country was able to overcome the 2008 global financial crisis by signing a $30 billion currency swap with the United States, Japan, and China, and advised that the country should also think about ways to help large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises coexist.

 

President Yoon said, "I found the small details of the talk very helpful," and said, "I would like to schedule another time to hear more details."

 

After the dinner, which lasted nearly three hours and exceeded expectations, President Yoon and his wife saw off the former president together.

 

The dinner menu included Lee's favorite grilled Korean beef short ribs, freshly cooked hot pot rice, and beef miso stew. Side dishes included grilled oysters, japchae, seafood pancake, and pumpkin pancake, while appetizers included daeha, abalone pine nut cold cuts, sweet pumpkin porridge, and fruit for dessert. 

 

President Yoon paid special attention to the dinner, choosing food that was easy to digest and comfortable for the former president and his wife, considering their advanced age.