The Korea Herald

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Yoon hosts dinner for former President Lee Myung-bak

By Yonhap

Published : Aug. 12, 2024 - 22:21

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President Yoon Suk Yeol (third from right) and First Lady Kim Keon Hee (second from right) host a dinner with former President Lee Myung-bak (third from left) and his wife Kim Yoon-ok (second from left), along with Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and his wife, at the presidential residence in Hannam, Seoul, on Monday. (Yonhap) President Yoon Suk Yeol (third from right) and First Lady Kim Keon Hee (second from right) host a dinner with former President Lee Myung-bak (third from left) and his wife Kim Yoon-ok (second from left), along with Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and his wife, at the presidential residence in Hannam, Seoul, on Monday. (Yonhap)

President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner meeting with former President Lee Myung-bak and his wife Monday, in what marked their first official dinner since Yoon took office.

First lady Kim Keon Hee and Chung Jin-suk, Yoon's chief of staff who had served as a senior secretary to Lee for political affairs, also attended the dinner.

The meeting came around a year after Yoon and Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, briefly met at the funeral of Yoon's father in August 2023.

In December 2022, Yoon granted a special pardon to Lee, who had been serving a 17-year prison term for bribery and embezzlement.

The two sides reportedly exchanged views on a wide array of issues. Ruling party officials said their talks also likely touched on South Korea's deal to build nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic.

Lee, a former entrepreneur, is known for his policies focusing on resources diplomacy as well as exports in the energy and arms industries during his term.