Yoon Returns to Work After 4-Night, 5-Day Vacation
Reviewing Timing for Veto on Broadcasting Four Laws
Summit Meeting and Liberation Day Pardon Also Key Issues
President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is on summer vacation, is greeting merchants and citizens at Tongyeong Jungang Market in Tongyeong City, Gyeongnam, on the 5th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol will conclude his summer vacation and return to work on the 9th. With major pending issues such as the exercise of the veto power on the Broadcasting Act amendments, the confirmation of special pardons for Liberation Day, and coordination of a summit meeting, the political landscape next week is expected to reach a critical turning point.
According to the Presidential Office on the 9th, President Yoon will end his 4-night, 5-day summer vacation that began on the 5th and return to work. He is expected to start reviewing and receiving reports on pending issues as early as the afternoon of that day. During his vacation, President Yoon visited Tongyeong Central Market in Gyeongnam on the 5th, and the Jinhae Naval Base on the 6th and 7th, communicating with soldiers, citizens, and merchants.
Upon his return, President Yoon is expected to first consider the timing of exercising the veto power on bills passed by the National Assembly plenary session led by the opposition party. These include the 'Broadcasting 4 Acts' (amendments to the Korea Communications Commission Act, Broadcasting Act, Korea Broadcasting Culture Promotion Agency Act, and Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act), the 'Yellow Envelope Act' (amendment to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act), and the 'National Support Act' providing 250,000 to 350,000 won to all citizens (the Livelihood Recovery Support Act).
Previously, the Presidential Office had expressed opposition several times to bills passed solely by the opposition party without bipartisan agreement. Since the Broadcasting 4 Acts were approved for reconsideration at the Cabinet meeting on the 6th, only President Yoon's approval remains, while the reconsideration proposals for the other two bills are scheduled to be submitted to the Cabinet meeting on the 13th. It has not yet been decided whether President Yoon will exercise the veto power first on the Broadcasting 4 Acts or on all three bills at once.
President Yoon is also reviewing the summit meeting proposed by the Democratic Party. Park Chan-dae, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party, emphasized the day before, "Through the summit meeting, the president should diagnose the national issues and tasks at hand and show the will to overcome the crisis by joining forces with the opposition party."
The Presidential Office currently holds a passive stance, stating that "consultation between party leaders should come first," but if former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung confirms his re-election as party leader, there is a possibility that the political pros and cons of the summit meeting will be considered.
Former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo is moving at Incheon Airport on June 14. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The special pardon and reinstatement for Liberation Day is also a matter of interest. The Ministry of Justice held a pardon review committee meeting the day before and finalized the list of candidates for the 'Liberation Day Special Pardon and Reinstatement.' The reinstatement candidates include former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo and former Blue House Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Cho Yoon-sun.
In the case of former Governor Kim, who is classified as a key aide to former President Moon Jae-in, attention is focused on whether he will be reinstated. After being sentenced to two years in prison for the 'Druking comment manipulation case,' he was exempted from serving the remainder of his sentence by a New Year's special pardon in December 2022, but was not reinstated. Currently, his eligibility to run for office is restricted until December 2027.
If former Governor Kim is reinstated, he could emerge as a new focal point for the opposition party, as political resurgence would become possible, including running in the 2026 local elections and the 2027 presidential election. Some predict that this could cause cracks in the current single-leader system under former leader Lee. The final list of pardon and reinstatement candidates will be announced before Liberation Day after Cabinet deliberation and President Yoon's approval.
Additionally, President Yoon is expected to continue finalizing his new vision for unification to be unveiled on Liberation Day, the 15th. Marking the 30th anniversary of the proposal of the 'National Community Unification Plan,' it is anticipated that a concrete plan regarding "what the realization of unification means in terms of the spread of freedom" will be announced. The president's Liberation Day message is considered one of the most important annual messages alongside the March 1st Independence Movement Day address.
Furthermore, President Yoon is expected to announce the four major reforms in education, labor, pensions, and healthcare, as well as measures to address low birth rates, through a national briefing as early as the end of this month. It is known that President Yoon has been continuously reviewing related matters during his vacation.
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