The one-on-one meeting with President Yoon Seok-yeol requested by People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon on the 24th fell through. Representative Han requested the one-on-one meeting before the dinner meeting between President Yoon and the party leadership scheduled for that day, but the presidential office effectively rejected it, saying, “We will discuss it later.” The nature of the event and the president’s tight schedule are the apparent reasons for the one-on-one meeting failure, but it is interpreted that the presidential office’s displeasure at Representative Han’s request for the one-on-one meeting being made public in advance is largely reflected. In a situation where the medical vacuum is prolonging, criticism is being raised that the ruling party and government, which should be resolving the legislative conflict, are dereliction of responsibility for engaging in a war of nerves.
An official from the Blue House met with reporters at the Blue House in Yongsan on the 23rd and said, “Tomorrow is a time to encourage the new leadership,” and “A private meeting with Representative Han is a matter to be discussed separately.” He continued, “It’s not like we have to have a private meeting tomorrow,” and explained, “(Tomorrow) is more of a meeting after the party leadership is finalized.” The Blue House also reportedly took into account the fact that the president’s schedule does not allow for much time.
Regarding this, Representative Han met with reporters and said, “If this is difficult, I think we should meet as soon as possible.” Representative Han avoided answering the question of whether he would attend the dinner, saying, “I will say this much.” The dinner with President Yoon and the party leadership will be attended by 16 party officials, including Representative Han, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, supreme members, policy committee chairmen, and secretary generals. From the presidential office, Chief of Staff Chung Jin-seok, Policy Director Sung Tae-yoon, National Security Office Director Shin Won-sik, and key senior secretaries.
The dinner between President Yoon and the party leadership was originally scheduled for the 30th of last month, but was postponed once. At the time, Representative Han clashed with the presidential office when he proposed a mediation plan to “suspend the increase in medical school enrollment for the 2026 school year,” and the presidential office postponed the dinner until after the Chuseok holiday. Since then, President Yoon and Representative Han have shown an awkward attitude when meeting at events and other venues, avoiding eye contact or only shaking hands without speaking.
The dinner schedule was rescheduled after 24 days, and the war of nerves began when the media revealed that Representative Han had requested a private meeting with President Yoon. Representative Han’s side emphasized the necessity of a private meeting between President Yoon and Representative Han, saying, “We need to have in-depth discussions on current issues such as the issue of the ruling and opposition party consultative body,” while the presidential office responded with bewilderment, saying, “There was no prior consultation through official channels, and how can a private meeting be made public in advance?”
● The government and ruling party, who are in a different world, also request an exclusive meeting and fail to meet through the media
There is talk that Representative Han’s side tried to repeatedly suggest the government’s flexible stance on the readjustment of medical school enrollment for the 2025 school year, etc., in order to participate in the medical community’s participation in the formation of a bipartisan parliamentary consultative body through the exclusive meeting. There was also speculation that Representative Han was mentioning this since he said in a media interview that a public apology was needed regarding the suspicion of Kim Gun-hee accepting a Dior bag.
On this day, regarding the background of the request for an exclusive meeting, Representative Han simply stated, “There is an important matter that is difficult to speak about publicly, and it is a situation where a discussion on that matter is necessary.” In response to the question, “Have you received any contact from the Office of the President regarding an exclusive meeting?” he replied, “I saw it in the press,” and “I have not received any direct communication.”
On the other hand, it was reported that the Blue House initially intended to use the dinner as an opportunity to encourage the ruling party leadership and share the results of the 4-day, 2-night official visit to the Czech Republic. In this situation, when the issue of readjusting the number of medical school students for the 2025 school year, which is running parallel to Representative Han’s side, and the public apology were brought up, it was reported that there was a strong negative atmosphere toward the one-on-one meeting. An official from the Blue House said on the 23rd, “Aren’t today and tomorrow the president’s time?” and “The Czech achievements were buried when the article requesting the one-on-one meeting came out.”
In particular, there was a lot of displeasure over the fact that the ball was passed to President Yoon as the request for an exclusive meeting by Representative Han was made public to the press without prior coordination through the official line. A high-ranking official from the ruling party said, “Where would you request an exclusive meeting to the press?” and “There is no respect for the president.”
Afterwards, the Blue House proposed to Representative Han that instead of a private meeting, President Yoon, Representative Han, and floor leader Choo Kyung-ho hold a brief tea party, but Representative Han expressed a negative opinion, and this also fell through.
● Pro-Yoon and pro-Yoon ‘blame war’ over the collapse of the exclusive meeting
When the one-on-one meeting fell through, Han’s side and those close to Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok faction) engaged in a proxy war. A member of the leadership said, “Shouldn’t the president and the ruling party leader be able to meet freely whenever they want?” and “If the president doesn’t even meet with the ruling party leader separately, I don’t know who he would discuss current issues with.” A member of Han’s side said, “Han wants to have a chance to talk frankly with President Yoon,” and “It’s hard to understand how the request for an one-on-one meeting became a political issue.” On the other hand, a pro-Yoon lawmaker from the Yeongnam region said, “Han’s request for an one-on-one meeting doesn’t feel sincere and only seems like ‘self-politics,’” and “Rather, it doesn’t help the party-government harmony at all.”
Regarding the fact that the one-on-one meeting between President Yoon and Representative Han has effectively fallen through, Cho Seung-rae, senior spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, said in an oral statement on the 23rd, “Representative Han should not insist on a one-on-one meeting, but should raise issues about President Yoon’s incompetence and the problems of First Lady Kim Kun-hee.” The Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Medical Disaster Countermeasures previously pointed out, “The Yoon-Han dinner should not be an empty-handed dinner that only fills stomachs but produces no results.”
Reporter Hwang Hyeong-jun [email protected]
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
Reporter Seungwoo Lee [email protected]
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2024-09-23 16:26:34