Jung Chung-rae Greets President Lee at Airport With '90-Degree Bow'

[Anchor]

President Lee Jae-myung returned to Korea today (June 18) after concluding his trip to Europe. Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae, who was absent from the farewell ceremony when the President departed, attended today's welcome event and greeted President Lee with a 90-degree bow. Later, Representative Jung remarked to a fellow lawmaker that "getting wet while moving forward is what life is all about."

Reporter Park Yerim has the story.

[Reporter]

President Lee Jae-myung arrived at Seoul Airport this morning, wrapping up a ten-day European tour that included his attendance at the G7 summit.

The welcome ceremony at the airport was attended by government officials, including Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, as well as Democratic Party leadership, such as leader Jung Chung-rae and floor leader Han Byung-do, who had not attended the departure ceremony.

Representative Jung bowed 90 degrees, and President Lee responded with a handshake and a brief greeting.

[President Lee Jae-myung: Thank you for your hard work.]

Representative Jung's absence from the departure ceremony on the 9th had sparked rumors of friction between the party and the presidential office regarding responsibility for the June 3 local elections. With both Prime Minister Kim and Representative Jung attending today's welcome ceremony, attention is focused on whether these rumors of conflict will subside.

Later, at a general meeting of Democratic Party lawmakers, Representative Jung quoted a line from a poem by Do Jong-hwan, which is being interpreted as an indirect expression of his current state of mind.

[Kim Jeong-ho/Democratic Party Lawmaker: Oh, you must be having a hard time lately.]

[Jung Chung-rae/Democratic Party Leader: Where is there a life that isn't difficult? Isn't life about swaying and getting wet as we go?]

President Lee is scheduled to hold a press briefing tomorrow to discuss the outcomes of his European tour.

Attention is also on whether he will address domestic issues, including the rumors of friction between the party and the presidential office.

(Video coverage: Jung Sang-bo, Yoon Hyung | Video editing: Nam Il)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.