President Yoon and Han Dong-hoon Inspect Fire Site... Steps Toward Resolving Conflict

Chairman Han Meets Yoon After 40-Minute Wait
Exchanged 90-Degree Bows, Handshakes, and Hugs
Toured Fire Site Together Before Taking Train to Seoul

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, met at the fire site in Seocheon, Chungnam, two days after their clash, and toured the site together. In political circles, their joint inspection followed by boarding a dedicated train to return to Seoul together is seen as a sign that their conflict is entering a reconciliation phase.

According to political sources, President Yoon and Chairman Han visited the Seocheon Specialized Market in Seocheon-gun, Chungnam, around 1 p.m. on the 23rd, where a fire had broken out the previous day. Initially, it was expected that President Yoon and Chairman Han would visit Seocheon separately, but after waiting for about 40 minutes, Chairman Han’s meeting with President Yoon was arranged.

Chairman Han greeted President Yoon with a 90-degree bow, followed by a handshake and an embrace. President Yoon showed warmth by patting Chairman Han on the shoulder.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The two walked side by side to listen to the fire suppression status report from the fire chief. When President Yoon turned his head and pointed to a specific location with his finger, Chairman Han also looked in that direction and continued the conversation. Despite the severe cold, they continued inspecting the various parts of the market damaged by the fire.

The previous night at around 11:08 p.m., a large fire broke out at the Seocheon Specialized Market. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the fire completely destroyed a total of 227 stores, including 121 seafood stores in the seafood section, 90 stores in the general section, and 16 restaurants.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The meeting between the two came two days after a conflict arose between the party and government over Chairman Han’s position. Political circles view their meeting as the beginning of a reconciliation process between the presidential office and Chairman Han.

Earlier, it was reported that Chairman Han was asked to resign by the presidential office on the 21st. This followed a message shared by Rep. Lee Yong, a 'messenger' for President Yoon, in a mobile messenger group chat with all ruling party lawmakers, stating that President Yoon had withdrawn his support for Chairman Han. Chairman Han refused the resignation request, leading to a direct confrontation between the government and the ruling party.

After completing the site inspection, President Yoon reportedly boarded a train with Chairman Han to return to Seoul.