Yoon Holds Dinner with New People Power Party Leadership at Presidential Office
Meets New Representative Han Dong-hoon, Saying "Thank You for Your Hard Work"
Grills 'Samgyeopsal' to Symbolize Casual Communication
President Yoon Suk-yeol is holding hands and taking a commemorative photo with People Power Party's new leadership, including Representative Han Dong-hoon (left) and Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho (right), at a dinner held on the 24th at Pine Grass in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 24th, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a dinner meeting with Han Dong-hoon, the newly appointed leader of the People Power Party, and other new leadership members. This came just one day after the People Power Party's national convention. President Yoon and Leader Han emphasized party-government unity by holding hands and shouting "Fighting," fostering harmony.
Attention is focused on whether President Yoon and Leader Han can dispel the rumors of discord that had arisen and achieve harmony through this dinner.
According to the Blue House, the dinner hosted by President Yoon for the new People Power Party leadership began at 6:30 p.m. at Pine Grass, the outdoor garden of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul.
Attending the dinner were Leader Han, along with new leadership members including In Yo-han, Kim Min-jeon, Kim Jae-won, Jang Dong-hyuk, and youth supreme council member Jin Jong-oh; candidates for party leader Na Kyung-won, Won Hee-ryong, and Yoon Sang-hyun; floor leader Choo Kyung-ho; policy committee chairman Jung Jeom-sik; secretary-general Sung Il-jong; chief deputy floor leader Bae Jun-young; chief spokesperson Kwak Kyu-taek; chief floor spokesperson Shin Dong-wook; and secretary to the floor leader Jeong Hee-yong.
From the Blue House, Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok, National Security Office Director Jang Ho-jin, and senior aides attended. Following President Yoon’s intention to encourage informal conversation, all wore suits without ties.
Before the dinner, President Yoon shook hands with Leader Han, saying, "Thank you for your hard work," and greeted all attendees.
President Yoon spoke warmly with the attendees, saying, "You’ve all been here before," and "I was worried it might rain, but fortunately, the weather is good." He also joked with youth supreme council member Jin Jong-oh, a former national shooting athlete, saying, "This is harder than exercising."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is holding hands and taking a commemorative photo with Representative Han Dong-hoon, Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, Supreme Council Member Kim Jae-won, Representative Na Kyung-won, presidential office aides, and others at a dinner with the new leadership of the People Power Party and candidates for party president, held on the 24th at Pine Grass in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap News]
President Yoon and the attendees held hands with the people beside them, shouted "People Power Party Fighting," took a group photo, and then began dining inside Pine Grass.
The dinner menu included samgyeopsal (pork belly), pork ribs, assorted lettuce wraps, bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), kimchi, seaweed cold soup, kimchi kimbap, and fruit?all personally selected by President Yoon.
The Blue House explained, "Samgyeopsal symbolizes the unity of the party, government, and presidency, and as a representative Korean dish eaten among close friends, it conveys the meaning of communicating and conversing without formality."
They added, "Originally, bibimbap was planned to symbolize party-government harmony, but since there were many dishes, assorted wraps were prepared with the same intention to represent everyone coming together in harmony."
Given the intense exchanges among candidates during the national convention, the choice to eat samgyeopsal and assorted wraps reflects the intention to communicate candidly and openly.
Earlier, a Blue House official told reporters that the meaning of this dinner was, "The national convention was more intense than ever, and the President also said in his congratulatory speech yesterday that ‘the party and government must become one. We are a community of fate.’ Therefore, this dinner is a dinner of great harmony."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is having dinner with the new leadership of the People Power Party, including Representative Han Dong-hoon and Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, as well as candidates running for party representative, at Fine Glass in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 24th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The dinner was reportedly decided naturally after a phone call between President Yoon and Leader Han immediately following the convention the previous day. A Blue House official said, "(The dinner) was first proposed by the Blue House."
The official added, "We expect that this dinner will lead to concrete plans on how the party and government will communicate and cooperate."
Discussions at the dinner are expected to focus mainly on party-government harmony.
Earlier that day, Leader Han met with Hong Cheol-ho, the Blue House senior secretary for political affairs, and said, "I had a brief call with President Yoon yesterday, during which I expressed my aspirations to lead party harmony and unity while practicing good politics through dialogue and compromise, and the President encouraged me."
President Yoon also emphasized in his congratulatory speech at the convention the day before, "To overcome the extreme situation of a minority government and to make this country leap forward again, above all, united strength is necessary," stressing, "This is why our party must become one."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is moving while conversing with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and floor leader Choo Kyung-ho at a dinner hosted for current and former party leaders on the 24th at Pine Grass in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
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