Kim Jong-in declines Moon Jae-in's gathering proposals

Kim Jong-in declines Moon Jae-in's gathering proposals. August. 29, 2016 07:05. by 길진균기자 leon@donga.com.

Kim Jong-in, the outgoing leader of the opposition Minjoo Party, reportedly turned down the meeting request made by former party leader Moon Jae-in just before the national convention, which was held on Saturday. The rejection could be interpreted as Kim's will to become his own man and keep distance from the pro-Moon faction.

One lawmaker close to Moon said on Sunday, "Moon proposed a meeting in mid-August, but Kim's aides declined the proposal saying that Kim had a tight schedule right before the national convention." Moon was said to express his gratitude to Kim who was recruited by Moon, and discuss Kim's role after his resignation. According to Moon's aides, continuous requests for meetings were also turned down.

In contrast to his decline to Moon's proposal, Kim met with potential presidential candidates in the opposition parties including Park Won-soon, Ahn Hee-jung, and Kim Boo-kyum after the April 13 general elections. In particular, Kim was dining with the party's former standing advisor Sohn Hak-kyu at a hotel in Seoul for around two hours on Aug. 13, around the time when Moon proposed a meeting. This is why Kim is believed to "keep distance" with Moon. "Even if he (Kim) did meet Moon, what would they say?" Kim's aides talked about the reasons that the Moon-Kim meeting was never held.

"Kim believes that the party's entire confidence on Moon would not help the party reach a transfer of power," an official of the Minjoo Party of Korea said. "Now that a pro-Moon leadership took power after the national convention, Kim's move will be a decisive factor in reshaping the power balance in the opposition party."