Yoon's First Meeting with People Power Party Leadership... Likely to Discuss Livelihood Issues

Hwang Woo-yeo Interim Committee Chair, Choo Kyung-ho Floor Leader Dinner
Also a Preparatory Measure Against Opposition Party Offensive

President Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a press conference on the morning of the 9th at the briefing room of the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul to mark the 2nd anniversary of his inauguration. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol and the new leadership of the People Power Party held their first meeting combined with a dinner on the 13th, where a wide range of topics are expected to be discussed, including livelihood support funds and the Korea-China-Japan summit scheduled to be held in Seoul at the end of this month. A senior official from the Presidential Office told Asia Economy on the same day, "Since the party has established a new lineup, the main focus will be on exchanging goodwill to reestablish the party-government relationship centered on communication," adding, "However, since livelihood issues are urgent, many livelihood-related topics may be discussed."

The dinner was attended by Emergency Committee Chairman Hwang Woo-yeo, Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, Policy Committee Chair Jung Jeom-sik, Emergency Committee members Eom Tae-young, Yoo Sang-beom, Kim Yong-tae, and Jeon Ju-hye, as well as Secretary-General Seong Il-jong and Deputy Floor Leader Bae Jun-young. Secretary-General Seong Il-jong said in an MBC radio interview regarding the dinner, "I think livelihood issues will be the most discussed," and clearly expressed opposition to the Democratic Party of Korea's push for a special law to provide 250,000 won in livelihood support funds to all citizens, stating, "Article 57 of the Constitution states that the National Assembly cannot increase expenditure budgets or establish budget items without the government's consent."

With the Korea-China-Japan summit scheduled to be held in Seoul on the 26th and 27th of this month, discussions on diplomatic issues surrounding the Korean Peninsula are also necessary, as momentum may build for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea in the future.

The meeting also strongly serves as a preparation to counter the opposition party's attacks. As the Democratic Party is moving toward effectively appointing Choo Mi-ae as the Speaker of the 22nd National Assembly's first half, a strong offensive is expected regarding the special prosecution for Chae Sang-byeong and First Lady Kim Geon-hee.

It is widely expected that the timing and rule changes for the People Power Party's party convention will not be discussed at the table. This is because the current Emergency Committee is composed of pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction lawmakers, and internal party discussions on this issue have not yet begun in earnest. The People Power Party plans to hold a national committee meeting on the same day to finalize the appointments of Emergency Committee members.

A Presidential Office official said, "With the Presidential Office's third-term system complete, the new staff will exchange greetings and seek a cooperative party-government relationship for communication," adding, "Since the livelihood and political situations are challenging, sensitive issues such as exercising the veto power on the Chae Sang-byeong special prosecution law are also expected to be addressed."