Seoul- Outgoing South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his successor Yoon Suk-yeol will hold their first meeting on Monday, their aides said on Sunday.
The two are set to hold a dinner meeting at the Sangchunje guest house on Monday, 19 days after Yoon was elected Moon’s successor, Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee and the President-elect’s spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said in separate press briefings.
Moon and Yoon will be accompanied by Presidential Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and the latter’s top aide, Rep. Chang Je-won, reports Yonhap News Agency.
The decision on their meeting was finalised after Moon offered to meet Yoon at the “earliest possible” date, while the latter expressed his hope to meet without any agenda and engage in “candid” dialogue, according to the briefings.
Their meeting comes amid controversies over some of Yoon’s plans, including a push for the relocation of the presidential office to the Defense Ministry compound.
Moon and Yoon were supposed to have a meeting March 16, but it was cancelled amid news reports of a stand-off over the President-elect’s hurried drive for the relocation of the presidential office and nominations for some key government posts.
Their planned rendezvous comes 19 days after the March 9 presidential election, the farthest time past an election that a president and a president-elect in South Korea will have met.
In 2007, then President Roh Moo-hyun met then President-elect Lee Myung-bak nine days after the latter’s election.
Also in 2012, then President Lee met then President-elect Park Geun-hye nine days after her election.
–IANS
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