Yoon to Announce Specific Position on General Election as Early as Next Week... Organizational Restructuring Also to Be Implemented

Plans to Present Position on National Governance Approach
Part of Strengthening Communication... Considering Press Conference

On the 1st, citizens at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, are watching President Yoon Seok-yeol's national address regarding healthcare reform. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

President Yoon Suk-yeol is reportedly planning to announce a specific stance on the April 10 general election defeat as early as the beginning of next week.

According to the presidential office on the 12th, President Yoon is considering revealing a more detailed position on the election loss and presenting a refined approach to future government administration.

Earlier, on the morning of the 11th, President Yoon conveyed a brief message through Chief Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, stating, "I will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election and do my best to reform the government and stabilize the economy and people's livelihoods."

Although President Yoon issued his first official statement on the election results the day before, it is understood that the gravity of the "total election defeat" necessitates an additional announcement regarding the approach to governance after the election.

President Yoon is said to be carefully considering the content to be included in the statement over the weekend and will also coordinate the format of the announcement.

The statement is expected to mainly focus on government reform, reflecting President Yoon's intention to strengthen communication with the public and listen more attentively to public sentiment. He is also anticipated to reaffirm his commitment to advancing key national tasks such as education, pension, labor, and healthcare reforms.

Additionally, a press conference is reportedly being considered as part of efforts to enhance communication.

Since holding a 100-day press conference on August 17, 2022, President Yoon has not held any press conferences. Instead, he replaced New Year's press conferences last year and this year with interviews or dialogues with specific media outlets.

Other methods of conveying the president's position, including public meetings such as cabinet meetings, are also being discussed.

Notably, President Yoon did not have any official schedule on this day and is said to be fully focused on plans for personnel reshuffles and organizational restructuring.

Plans to strengthen the functions of the political affairs and public relations offices or to revive the position of Minister for Political Affairs to improve communication with the National Assembly are also under consideration. The possibility of establishing a second secretariat to assist First Lady Kim Keon-hee, whose related duties the presidential office announced in January it would consider setting up, is also being discussed.