Lee calls Jung Chung-rae 'comrade who fought through the night of insurrection'

President Lee Jae Myung has directly rebuffed online criticism over his recent dinner with Jung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, after some supporters called for people to "stop harassing Chung-rae." Lee described Jung as "a comrade who fought alongside me through the night of insurrection" and drew a line against political interpretations of the meeting.

On Saturday, Lee shared a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account criticizing the dinner with Jung, writing, "I hope you will try to see things from the right perspective."

He then said Jung "is someone with his own thoughts and judgment," adding, "He was not dragged along by me, nor did I harass him — please do not misunderstand or misconstrue this."

Lee also explained how the dinner came about. "Former Chairman Jung said right after the party leadership election that he wanted to meet often, and we agreed to meet during a phone call I made to comfort him while he was hospitalized," Lee said. "We held the dinner after I returned from attending the UN General Assembly and completing my state visit to Mexico."

He went on to say that Jung was "a comrade who fought alongside me through an era of darkness and death, when even our lives were threatened, and through the night of insurrection."

Earlier, Lee had invited Jung to Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday for a dinner that lasted about four hours. Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik also attended. Cheong Wa Dae said the two held a candid conversation on a range of state affairs and intraparty matters, reaching a deep sense of common ground.