President Yoon's First Statement After General Election... Clear Differences Between Pro-Yoon and Anti-Yoon Perspectives

Ahn Cheol-soo: "If I had held a press conference... it's regrettable"
Kwon Young-se: "Yoon sincerely feels sorry to the people"

There is a clear difference in interpretation between pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) and anti-Yoon (anti-Yoon Seok-yeol) factions regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's official stance on the crushing defeat in the general election.

On the morning of the 16th, citizens at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, are watching President Yoon Suk-yeol's opening remarks during the live broadcast of the Cabinet meeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party from the anti-Yoon faction, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 17th and criticized President Yoon's statement on the election defeat, saying, "There is some regret."

Ahn said, "At times like this, it would have been much better to hold a press conference that had not been done so far, to clearly point out the mistakes and say 'We will correct them,' and to freely take questions from reporters," adding, "Perhaps (President Yoon) wanted to say that, but it seems to have become a flaw where the sincerity was not properly conveyed."

Earlier, President Yoon said in his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting the previous day, "We must all humbly accept the public sentiment revealed through this general election." A senior official from the presidential office reported that in the closing remarks and the staff meeting, which were not broadcast live, he said, "I apologize to the people." This led to criticism that the apology was made only after the cameras were turned off.

Regarding this, Ahn said, "Looking at previous presidents, when they were defeated in major elections, they humbly apologized to the people, expressed their will to correct mistakes, and took actual actions, which led to a rebound in approval ratings and gained public trust," adding, "I think such processes are still lacking."

On the same day, Kwon Young-se, a pro-Yoon member of the People Power Party, appeared on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show' and evaluated, "I think the content where (President Yoon) said he would listen to public sentiment with a humble and flexible attitude actually includes detailed aspects such as cooperation."

Kwon said, "If the people demand that specific policy tasks be resolved even through cooperation, and if we listen to public sentiment, wouldn't we eventually have to go in that direction?" He added, "Therefore, criticizing the president's stance based on whether or not a single word is included is not appropriate, and especially within our party, while internal concerns are understandable, I think it is not the right attitude to criticize too hastily."

Regarding the form in which President Yoon apologized to the public during the private meeting after his opening remarks, he said, "Generally, the first opening remarks are written externally and the president reads them, and of course there is consultation with the president during that process, but afterward, when he talks frankly with his aides, the president's more sincere true feelings can come out," adding, "If the expression of apology to the people came out during that process, I believe the president sincerely holds that feeling as well."