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President Moon Jae-in speaks at a luncheon of former Cabinet members held at the Blue House on April 20. (provided by the Blue House)

Nearing the end of his term, President Moon Jae-in invited former Cabinet ministers for a luncheon Wednesday.

During the gathering, he reiterated his plans to “live as an ordinary citizen without taking part in real politics.”

In a written briefing Wednesday, Blue House spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said that Moon had held a luncheon at the Blue House that day with previous members of his Cabinet, including former Prime Ministers Lee Nak-yon and Chung Sye-kyun, along with the chairpersons of presidential advisory institutions and other presidentially affiliated chairpersons.

Before the meal, Moon said he was “delighted to have the opportunity to dine with these beloved people I’ve worked with, now that the Omicron surge has abated and social distancing restrictions have been lifted.”

“We all worked as hard as we could together,” he added in a message of thanks.

After noting the successes in overcoming crises with North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, Japanese export controls, COVID-19, and supply chain issues, Moon commented on his plans for after leaving office.

“My plan is not to plan anything,” he said.

He went on to say, “I talked about wanting to live a ‘forgotten life.’ By that, I meant not that I want to live in seclusion, but that I want to live as an ordinary citizen without taking part in real politics.”

“I intend to visit nearby Tongdo Temple, hike in the Yeongnam Alps, tend my garden, and raise my dogs, cats, and chickens,” he continued, adding that he and the attendees “may meet naturally over the course of our comings and goings.”

In his remarks at the luncheon, Lee Nak-yon said, “The past five years have been a history of progressions and maturation.”

“There has been a lot of growth in different areas, and we achieved many things during this time that the Republic of Korea had attempted in the past but not achieved,” he added.

“The two years and seven months that I spent working under the Moon administration were the most gratifying time for me, and I will cherish my memories of this time spent serving a good president and working with dedicated officials,” he said.

Chung Sye-kyun said he planned to “continue working after the next administration takes office to serve the public and earn the public’s trust through the opposition party, which is the majority party in the parliament.”

According to the Blue House, Moon concluded the lunch by thanking the attendees for “being here with me through my final moments [in office].”

By Lee Wan, staff reporter

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