Canceled Due to Heavy Rain but Changed After Monsoon Ends
Last Year 'Rest at Home' → This Year 'Jeongguk Sketch'
President Yoon Suk-yeol will begin his summer vacation in the first week of next month. Given the important upcoming events such as the second cabinet reshuffle, the Liberation Day special pardon, and the Korea-US-Japan summit, it is expected that President Yoon will focus more on political planning rather than rest during this summer vacation.
According to the Blue House, presidential aides reported the vacation schedules of the president and his staff to President Yoon during the senior secretaries' meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the morning of the 31st.
It is known that President Yoon had already instructed his aides last week to make vacation plans. Some secretaries, excluding the senior secretaries, have started their vacations sequentially from that day.
Initially, President Yoon had canceled his vacation due to the severe flooding caused by heavy rains, but as the rainy season ended and the government focused on 'post-disaster measures,' the mood shifted toward taking a short break.
With urgent issues related to flood damage being addressed, such as recovery efforts, priority declarations of emergency disaster areas, and investigations into the Gungpyeong underpass tragedy, the president encouraged taking a vacation.
Furthermore, it was judged that President Yoon’s decision to take a vacation would create an atmosphere not only in the Blue House but also across the public sector for recharging through vacations, which is also necessary for revitalizing the domestic economy.
This summer vacation is likely to be different from last year’s. During his summer vacation from August 1 to 5 last year, President Yoon canceled plans to visit local resorts such as Jeodo Island in Geoje City, Gyeongsangnam-do, and sites related to public welfare, instead staying at his private residence in Seocho-dong, where he focused on rest by watching a play with his wife, First Lady Kim Keon-hee.
However, unlike last year, this year’s vacation coincides with pressing issues such as the second cabinet reshuffle, the Liberation Day special pardon, and the Korea-US-Japan summit scheduled for the 18th of this month, so it is expected to be more of a 'time for reflection' to establish plans for state affairs in the second half of the year rather than a vacation.
Regarding the second cabinet reshuffle, there are talks about replacing the ministers of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Ministry of Environment, who have each received criticism from President Yoon concerning nuclear phase-out, research and development (R&D), and water management, respectively. Additionally, there is an expectation of personnel changes among presidential aides in relation to the general election scheduled for April next year.
During the vacation, President Yoon will also finalize the list of candidates for the Liberation Day special pardon. Among those mentioned as pardon candidates are former Blue House Policy Coordination Secretary Ahn Jong-beom, former Samsung Group Future Strategy Office Chief Choi Ji-sung, and former Future Strategy Office Deputy Director Jang Choong-ki, who are figures from political and business circles.
In particular, President Yoon is carefully reviewing the agenda related to the Korea-US-Japan summit. This will be the first time in history that the leaders of Korea, the US, and Japan meet separately rather than as part of a multilateral meeting. The term previously used, 'summit meeting,' has been changed to 'leaders’ meeting,' and since US President Joe Biden has invited the Korean and Japanese leaders to Camp David?a venue historically used by US presidents as a 'diplomatic stage'?there is a possibility of a joint statement comparable to the Phnom Penh Statement, a comprehensive joint declaration issued last November.
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