Aftermath of the Complete Review Ban... Will the Meeting Between Yoon and the National Assembly Speaker Take Place?

President-elect Yoon to Visit National Assembly Twice on the 10th... Meeting May Occur Just Before Afternoon Celebration Ceremony

On the 9th, one day before the inauguration ceremony of the 20th president, chairs were arranged for guests in front of the National Assembly main building.
Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Attention is focused on the meeting between President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol and National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok on the occasion of the presidential inauguration ceremony. Although there was a consensus that a meeting between the first and second in protocol order was necessary to gain the cooperation of the National Assembly in a situation where the ruling party is in the minority, an uncomfortable situation has continued between the president-elect's side and the National Assembly due to the recent forced passage of the bill related to the complete removal of prosecutorial investigation rights (Geomsu Wanbak).

According to the People Power Party on the 9th, President-elect Yoon will visit the National Assembly twice on the inauguration day, the 10th. Starting with a visit to the National Cemetery that day, he will attend the presidential inauguration ceremony held at the National Assembly at 11 a.m., followed by attending a celebratory banquet held in the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly main building at 4 p.m. A National Assembly official said, "It is difficult before and after the inauguration ceremony, but we are trying to arrange a tea time between the new president and Speaker Park Byeong-seok during the celebratory banquet."

The meeting between the new president and the National Assembly Speaker is not new. Previously, President Moon Jae-in, right after holding his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in 2017, visited then-Speaker Chung Sye-kyun for a friendly talk and delivered a policy task booklet.

This time, expectations were even higher due to the minority ruling party situation. For the new government to implement various pledges, the passage of bills must precede, and the role of the head of the legislature is more important than anyone else. However, after Speaker Park finalized the Geomsu Wanbak legislation, the stance of the People Power Party, the Presidential Transition Committee, and the president-elect's side cooled sharply. President-elect Yoon even expressed displeasure toward the mediation proposal on Geomsu Wanbak suggested by Speaker Park, stating that "upholding constitutional values is the correct answer."

Currently, it is known that the National Assembly and President-elect Yoon's side are coordinating to arrange a meeting between President-elect Yoon and Speaker Park just before the celebratory event held in the Rotunda Hall of the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 10th. However, considering that President-elect Yoon must work at the Yongsan office until just before the celebratory event, there is not much time to spare. Prior to this, President Moon plans to have a separate meeting with Speaker Park on the same day.