President-Elect Lee to Meet Roh as Early as December 27

President-elect Lee Myung-bak and President Roh Moo-hyun will meet as early as December 27. Lee on Friday met with Moon Jae-in, presidential chief-of-staff, at the Anguk Forum office in Gyeonji-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul and told him that he wants to meet President Roh after December 26th, according to Park Hyeong-jun, a GNP spokesperson.

Lee said, “Administrative affairs need to be run smoothly while predecessors should be respected. The participatory government put into action its promise of doing away with authoritarian practices and enabled political campaigns to be carried out without too much money. These are great feats.”

Cheong Wa Dae said, “Bipartisan and pressing issues will be discussed with the president-elect through various channels.”

Lee talked to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on the phone for the first time Friday morning and praised his efforts on “trying to resolve North Korea’s nuclear programs.”

Chinese Ambassador Ning Fukui visited Lee and delivered a message from Chinese President Hu Jintao and requested a special envoy to be sent before the inauguration. In response, Lee said, “At the earliest date, I will visit China.”

The president-elect said to Russian ambassador Gleb Ivashentsov, who visited him and delivered a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, “It will be a win-win situation if Korea and Russia develop eastern Siberia by cooperating together.”

Meanwhile, Lee will move to a temporary presidential residence and stay there until February 25, when he is set to officially take office.

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