Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's Verbal Resignation Declaration
All Senior Officials Including Chief Secretary Resign
Lee Gwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, is giving a briefing on the 22nd general election on the morning of the 11th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 11th, "I will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the 22nd general election, reform the administration, and do my best to stabilize the economy and people's livelihoods." On the same day, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo verbally tendered his resignation, and the presidential office announced that all senior secretaries and aides at the level of senior secretary or above, except for the National Security Office, submitted their resignations. This includes Chief Presidential Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, Policy Chief Sung Tae-yoon, Public Relations Chief Lee Do-woon, and Political Affairs Chief Han Oh-seop.
In a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, Chief Secretary Lee said, "To heed the will of the people, we must reform the administration, and to reform the administration, we must reform personnel." This means that the senior aides of the presidential office will all resign to take responsibility for the ruling party's crushing defeat in the general election and initiate personnel reform.
The presidential office also expressed its intention to strengthen cooperation with the opposition party for future governance under the current situation of the ruling party being in the minority. A senior presidential office official explained in response to questions about the possibility of cooperation with the opposition, "President Yoon said he would take good care of people's livelihoods and the economy, and he intends to cooperate and communicate with the opposition going forward."
President Yoon's move to have all senior aides resign and mention cooperation with the opposition is interpreted as a strong will to take responsibility for the election defeat and to overcome difficulties through administrative reform. With three years left in his term, President Yoon has no choice but to set a new direction. Some within the ruling party are concerned that if President Yoon does not reset his governance approach, an early power drain (lame duck) phenomenon could occur in the third year of his administration.
Fortunately, the People Power Party narrowly avoided the worst-case scenario by holding onto the "constitutional amendment blockade line" of 100 seats, thus preventing attempts at impeachment and constitutional amendments against President Yoon. However, with various special investigations and state audits such as the "Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act" and the "Lee Jong-seop Special Prosecutor Act" being pushed forward, there is a high possibility of disruptions in governance. Although the presidential veto power remains possible, clashes over opposition party's forced legislation and presidential vetoes are expected to continue. The relationship between the ruling party and the government also urgently needs to be reestablished. As calls for accountability toward President Yoon grow within the People Power Party, his control over state affairs is bound to weaken further.
Professor Lee Hyun-woo of Sogang University's Department of Political Science and International Relations said, "Since the three major reforms in pensions, labor, and education are impossible without opposition cooperation, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation going forward to overcome the political crisis," adding, "As the ruling party's control weakens and opposition to governance grows louder, the relationship between the party and the government must also be reestablished."
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