MOON AND YOON TO HOLD MEETING

[Anchor Lead]

President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who seemed to be at odds, are to meet for the first time over dinner at Cheong Wa Dae tonight. The meeting between these two leaders is taking place 19 days after the presidential election. They are to talk freely without any set agendas.

[Pkg]

President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol are set to meet at 6 p.m. Monday over dinner at Cheong Wa Dae.

[Soundbite] Park Kyung-mee(Spokesperson for Presidential) : "We relayed President Moon’s proposal to meet with President-elect Yoon as soon as possible."

There are no pre-planned agendas. The duo decided to talk freely, according to their associates. Since they have chosen to meet over dinner instead of lunch, there are less time restrictions. So several different topics are expected to make it to the table.

[Soundbite] Kim Eun-hye(Spokesperson for President-Elect) : "They’re to talk about national issues such as COVID-19, the Russian invasion of Ukraine’s adverse effect on the Korean economy and North Korea’s provocations."

Only Presidential Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and Chief of Staff to the President-elect Chang Je-won are to attend the meeting. The latest sit-down was decided late Saturday after discussions between Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Rhee Cheol-hee and the President-elect’s Chief of Staff Chang Je-won resumed on Friday. Both sides appeared to be under great political pressure as their discord over the relocation of the top office and appointment of public officials were regarded as a source of tension between the outgoing and incoming administrations.

[Soundbite] Park Soo-hyun(Senior Pres. Secretary for Public Communication(Mar. 24)) : "Who needs negotiations when they’re just going to wish each other well and make suggestions."

[Soundbite] Yoon Suk-yeol(President-Elect(Mar. 24)) : "The meeting is a different issue from the right to make personnel appointments."

This meeting is to take place 19 days after the presidential election... taking the longest time for a sitting president and a president-elect to meet.