In Response to "Stop Harassing Chungrae"... Lee: "Chung Cheongrae, a Comrade Who Fought with Me Through the Night of Rebellion"

After Lee Jae-myung and Chung Cheong-rae’s Dinner Meeting Was Criticized

"Please Don't Misunderstand or Misinterpret, I Didn't Harass Him"

On October 3, President Lee Jae-myung described former Democratic Party leader Chung Cheong-rae as "a comrade who fought alongside me through an era of darkness and death when even our lives were under threat, and through the night of insurrection."

Early that morning, President Lee shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) that criticized his meeting with former leader Chung, and wrote the above comment. The post included messages such as "Stop harassing former leader Chung" and "This is too cruel."

President Lee Jae-myung is having dinner with former Democratic Party leader Chung Cheong-rae at the Blue House on October 1, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

President Lee wrote, "After the party convention, former leader Chung said he wanted to meet more often, and when he was hospitalized, I agreed to meet him during a comforting phone call. We scheduled the dinner after I returned from attending the UN General Assembly and my visit to Mexico," adding, "He was not dragged along by me, nor did I harass him, so I hope there will be no misunderstandings or misinterpretations."

President Lee had dinner with former leader Chung at the Blue House on October 1. Kang Yoo-jung, Chief Spokesperson for the Blue House, stated, "They had an open and sincere conversation for four hours, discussing various state and party matters, and developed a deep sense of mutual understanding."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.