Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 18th after attending the welcome event for President Lee Jae-myung's return from a European tour, "I pay tribute to President Lee's unprecedented diplomatic achievements, in which he fully displayed his demeanor as a world-class, global political leader."
Jung said at a general meeting of lawmakers held at the National Assembly that afternoon, "President Lee has just returned after completing a successful tour of Europe," and stated accordingly. In his opening remarks at the general meeting, Jung mentioned "President Lee Jae-myung" 11 times.
He continued, "Before coming into the general meeting, I went to the airport to greet the president. This G7 (Group of Seven) European tour by the president showed the essence of a national-interest-centered, pragmatic diplomacy," adding, "With the previous president, people were uneasy every time an overseas trip happened, but with this president, the public looks forward to what results will be achieved every time he goes abroad."
Earlier that day, Jung attended the event at Seoul Airport welcoming the president back from the European tour. Jung bowed 90 degrees to greet the president, and the president told Jung, "Thank you for your hard work." The president's exchanges of greetings with those who came to meet him totaled only 10 seconds.
Jung appears to be trying to quell controversy over a "party–Blue House rift" and "ruling party being bypassed" that flared after he skipped the president's send-off event on the 9th. However, within the party there is speculation that tensions between the party and the presidential office will persist even after the leadership attended the return event.
Park Ji-won, a five-term senior Democratic Party lawmaker, appeared on KBS Radio that day and said, "(The conflict between the president and Jung) will not subside," adding, "Since the party convention is ongoing, it may get stronger, but there is no reason for it to diminish."