President Moon to Propose Opposition Coalition Cabinet After General Election

On the 14th, citizens are watching the live broadcast of President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference in the waiting room of Seoul Station, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] President Moon Jae-in announced that he will propose a cooperative cabinet to the opposition parties after the general election in April. Regarding constitutional amendment, he expressed that "it has become difficult for the president to have the driving force to push it forward" and hopes it will be discussed as an election pledge.

At the New Year's press conference held on the 14th at the Blue House State Guest House, President Moon said, "After the general election, I will make efforts to work together with opposition figures in the cabinet," adding, "Even if they do not agree with the overall national governance philosophy, if they agree with the policy goals and directions of the relevant ministries, we can work together."

President Moon pointed out, "Because this is different from the coalition government in a parliamentary system, it will be difficult to allocate seats uniformly by party or assign a certain number of seats to a specific party," and said, "If the president publicly pushes that part, it will be attacked as opposition destruction or opposition division tactics in our political reality." He continued, "I will make efforts for cooperation through such methods after the general election, but our political culture must also change through the general election."

President Moon explained, "However, it is not something that can be done by the president's will alone," adding, "I made such efforts several times in the first half of my term. There were media reports about cabinet appointment proposals, and although not reported in the media, there were also proposals for more significant figures symbolizing political integration and cooperation."

It is said that the appointment of Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun was also based on cooperation. President Moon mentioned, "Cooperation is the biggest task in our politics," and said, "Despite the expected political attacks that it infringes on the separation of powers, the biggest reason for appointing Prime Minister Chung was the expectation of a significant role in cooperative politics between the government and the National Assembly."

Regarding questions about constitutional amendment, he said, "I thought the local elections were a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to amend the constitution, so it is very regrettable that it was aborted," and added, "Now it is difficult for the president to have the driving force to push for constitutional amendment again. Reviving the momentum is the responsibility of the National Assembly, so if it gains support as an election pledge, constitutional amendment could be promoted in the next National Assembly."

President Moon further added, "The president will also decide his position after reviewing whether the content is something the people can agree with."

He also sharpened his criticism toward the political circles. President Moon said, "Although they say the livelihood economy is difficult, it seems as if they want the government to fail in reality. I believe a National Assembly that does not work properly is unacceptable," and added, "The National Assembly and the government should move toward national unity, but rather inciting division and conflict is truly wrong. I hope such a culture changes through the general election."