Lee set to meet ex-President Moon over lunch ahead of party leadership convention

President Lee Jae Myung, left, shakes hand with former President Moon Jae-in in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

President Lee Jae Myung was set to meet with former President Moon Jae-in over lunch on Wednesday, a meeting widely seen as an attempt to settle, if not quell, a growing rift within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) ahead of an upcoming national convention to elect new leadership.

The meeting at Cheong Wa Dae will be an opportunity for Lee to seek advice from the former president on improving people's livelihoods and promoting national unity, Hong Ik-pyo, presidential secretary for political affairs, said earlier.

The presidential office has also said Lee had sought to host Moon since the early days of his presidency.

Still, the focus of attention is on whether Lee and Moon will deliver any message calling for party unity as the meeting comes amid rivalry among potential candidates for the ruling party leadership who are considered to be close supporters of the president and his predecessor.

The DPK is set to hold its national convention in August, with Lee's former Prime Minister Kim Min-seok soon expected to declare his candidacy and run against Rep. Jung Chung-rae, former party leader who stepped down last week to seek reelection.