President Lee Jae-myung departed for Belgium on the 9th to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit. It is his first European trip since taking office, aimed at strengthening economic and security cooperation with the European Union (EU), Korea's No. 3 trading partner, and expanding his second-year diplomatic stage. However, Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who had typically come out with Cheong Wa Dae aides to offer a send-off just before the president boarded the presidential jet, did not attend the departure event at the airport.
At 9 a.m. that day, Lee arrived at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam wearing a navy suit and a blue tie. First lady Kim Hea-kyung wore a jade-colored two-piece. At the airport, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung, Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Senior Political Secretary Hong Ik-pyo, and Second Vice Minister Kim Jin-a of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came out to see the presidential couple off.
Jung Chung-rae, who had attended the airport send-off during each of Lee's overseas trips, did not appear. Floor leader Han Byeong-do also did not attend. Ruling party figures said it was not unrelated to Lee's mention of the "ruling party's responsibility" regarding the June 3 local elections. In a press conference on the first anniversary of his inauguration the previous day, Lee said, "If you lost what you should have won, if you lost where you had to win, at the very least it is not a success."
He also said, "What is a party supposed to do?" adding, "A ruling party must naturally play a different role than when it was in the opposition. When in opposition, you can just attack, but when in power, you must constantly present a vision." Although the Democratic Party won in 12 places in this election, he also said, "At the very least it is not a success." While Lee concluded his remarks by saying, "In the end, it is my shortcomings," the comments appear aimed at party leader Jung, who led the campaign.
Meanwhile, before departing, Lee said on X, "I am visiting Europe for the first time since taking office," adding it is "a journey to broaden the horizons of cooperation amid the global polycrisis and to further solidify the foundations of our economy and diplomacy."