President Lee Jae-myung and first lady Kim Hea-kyung, who left on their first tour of Europe on the occasion of attending the Group of Seven (G7) summit, returned through Seoul Air Base in Seongnam on the morning of the 18th. At the airport, government officials and the ruling party leadership welcomed the president. Also drawing attention at the scene was party leader Jung Chung-rae, who has been in a confrontational posture with the president's close aides amid the brewing race for the next party leadership. Jung, who did not attend the airport send-off at the time of the president's departure at the request of the presidential office, greeted the president with a "90-degree bow."
According to the presidential office, Air Force One carrying the president arrived at Seoul Air Base at about 11:34 a.m. that day. The president wore a navy suit with a diagonal tie in burgundy, black, and white, and first lady Kim Hea-kyung walked down the airstairs in a white two-piece suit.
On the runway, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok; Vice Minister Kim Min-jae of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety; Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae and floor leader Han Byeong-do; presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik; senior presidential secretary for political affairs Hong Ik-pyo; First Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Park Yoon-joo; and the commander of the Air Force 15th Special Missions Wing lined up to greet the president.
That day, the president shook hands in order with the officials waiting at the bottom of the stairs. When Jung faced the president, the party leader bent at the waist in a deep bow of nearly 90 degrees. The president offered Jung a brief greeting, saying, "Thank you for your hard work." Prime Minister Kim Min-seok also bowed at a 75-degree angle. However, after shaking hands with the prime minister, the president did not offer any further remarks.
Earlier, on the 9th, Jung did not attend the airport send-off event when the president departed for Europe. This was reportedly at the request of the presidential office. As the ruling party leader has typically attended the president's departure and return during overseas trips, talk grew that the ruling camp's "Myeong-Cheong (Lee Jae-myung–Jung Chung-rae) feud" had reached a peak. With the national convention set for Aug., the view emerged that the presidential office had signaled opposition to Jung's bid for another term.
Within the Democratic Party, the power struggle is intensifying over the "responsibility for losses in Seoul and Busan" in the June 3 local elections. At a press conference on the 8th marking the first anniversary of taking office, the president said, "We lost where we should have won," effectively calling it a defeat. That directly contradicts Jung's assessment of a "big victory." Even during the trip, the president posted a long message on X about the proper posture of the "ruling party." Though a general remark on the role of a political party, it was interpreted as a message aimed at the Jung Chung-rae leadership amid the race for the next party leadership.