Yoon's Position on General Election at Cabinet Meeting on 16th... Focus on Personnel Shake-up Including Chief Secretary and Prime Minister

Interest in Whether Direction for Daeya Cooperation and Appointment Will Emerge

President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to express his position on the April 10 general election defeat at the Cabinet meeting on the 16th.

According to the Presidential Office on the 15th, President Yoon will conduct the Cabinet meeting via live broadcast and is scheduled to announce his stance on the general election during his opening remarks. Earlier, on the day after the election, the 11th, President Yoon conveyed through Chief Secretary Lee Gwan-seop that he would "humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election and do his best to reform state affairs and stabilize the economy and people’s livelihood."

After the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the general election, President Yoon minimized his schedule except for an emergency economic and security meeting on the 14th regarding Iran’s airstrike on Israel, and has been deliberating on delivering a message to the public. Although options such as a public address or press conference were considered among the presidential aides, the Cabinet meeting was chosen as the means to quickly and efficiently communicate specific directions for state reform.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There is also interest in whether a gesture toward cooperation with the next National Assembly will be made. Since a minority ruling party situation has formed in both the 21st and 22nd National Assemblies, cooperation is necessary for legislation related to state tasks. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Cho Guk, leader of the Gukmin Innovation Party, have requested meetings with President Yoon following the general election.

Additionally, there is a possibility that directions regarding the appointment of successors to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who tendered his resignation taking responsibility for the election defeat, Chief Secretary Lee, and senior presidential secretaries may be mentioned. Candidates for prime minister include Kim Han-gil, Chair of the National Unity Committee, and Joo Ho-young, member of the People Power Party, while former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and People Power Party member Chung Jin-seok are mentioned as potential Chief Secretaries.

Inside the Presidential Office, the establishment of a Legal Senior Secretary’s Office to oversee the Office of Public Service Discipline and the Office of Legal Secretary is reportedly under consideration. The plan envisions reviving the functions of the Office of Civil Affairs, excluding its investigative role, to collect and analyze various information related to public sentiment. There is also talk of downsizing the Office of Civil Society Senior Secretary, which has been involved in various controversies, and merging it into the Office of Political Affairs Senior Secretary.