At a news conference with foreign media in Seoul, Lee Jae Myung also disputed media reports that paint him as a hard-liner due to his past remarks, saying they are based on misunderstanding and that he respects Japan as a country. "I'd like to say that I love Japanese people because I had very heartwarming experiences during my past visits to Japan," the former governor of Gyeonggi Province said. Lee added that if elected, he would seek a "path that would help each other" because South Korea and Japan are "geographically close and in an interdependent relationship."