Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Chairman Lee Jae-myung, left, and former President Moon Jae-in, right, hold hands as they pose for a photo in front of Moon's private residence in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Screenshot from Lee's Facebook

By Lee Yeon-woo

Rep. Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), skipped a New Year's meeting with incumbent President Yoon Suk-yeol and met instead with former President Moon Jae-in.

On Monday, Lee went directly to Moon's home in the southeastern city of Yangsan after wrapping up a meeting with senior DPK members in Busan. Lee has been on a listening tour.

The Lee-Moon meeting continued for one-and-a-half hours, according to sources. After exchanging their New Year greetings, they conversed about current political affairs.

Among other matters, the two politicians shared concerns that the nation faces crises regarding the livelihoods of the public, national security and the retreat of democracy.

Moon was quoted as saying that he hopes the DPK, under Lee's leadership, will help navigate the economy through troubled times. Expressing worries about strained inter-Korean relations, the former president also called for efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula, according to party spokesperson Rep. An Ho-young.

Lee and Moon also shared their views on the deadly crowd crush in Itaewon that killed at least 158 people, and said the nation needs to recover from the tragedy.

Moon said that the country's "hard-won democracy must not retreat."

Other details of their conversation have not been made public.

During their meeting, Moon expressed his wishes for the new year and said he hopes the DPK will become "a party which gives hope to people by doing good work," Rep. An told reporters after the meeting.

Moon's wife Kim Jung-sook reportedly served Pyongyang Onban, a one-pot dish with soup and rice that originated from North Korea.

The former president also expressed his concerns about the current back-and-forth posturing between North and South Korea, as the North marked a record number of missile tests in 2022 and launched another short-range ballistic missile from its east coast on the first day of 2023.

Pointing out that 2023 marks 70 years since the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, An said that Moon urged the two Koreas to work together to achieve peace.

Chief of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Lee Jae-myung waves to supporters after visiting former President Moon Jae-in at his private residence in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps

Despite the DPK's explanation that this visit is part of the annual New Year's schedule to greet former presidents, political circles view that Lee is trying to strengthen his position in the liberal bloc amid an ongoing probe into his alleged involvement in a land development scandal.

When asked whether the ex-president talked about investigations into members of the former government, An replied that Moon did not specifically address the issue, but showed empathy by expressing worries over threats to democracy.

After the meeting, Lee said that he deeply agrees with Moon's remarks that democracy must never retreat, and added he will "remember the warm hands and hearts" of Moon and Kim and "move forward without faltering."

The DPK leadership, including Lee, held a meeting with party members in Busan on Monday morning. Later, they moved to Yangsan to visit Moon for lunch. It is the second time for Lee to visit the former president since becoming DPK chief last August.