[Yongsan Report] Amid Yoon-Han Conflict... First High-Level Party-Government Council Meeting of Korean Representative System to be Held

High-Level Party-Government Consultations Delayed for 3 Weeks to Resume on 18th
High-Level Consultations Weakened Amid Yoon-Han Conflict
Several Major National Issues Including Pension Reform Proposal

President Yoon Suk-yeol is seen clasping 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 of last month at Fine Glass in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As tensions between President Yoon Seok-yeol and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon reignite, the first high-level party-government council under Han's leadership will be held this week. It has been four weeks since the People Power Party's national convention concluded. Although the party and government have recently voiced "unity without distinguishing between pro-Yoon and pro-Han factions," there are also opinions within the presidential office that it is inappropriate for Han, who is 'outside the National Assembly,' to attend the high-level party-government council, indicating a weakening influence of the council.

According to the presidential office on the 16th, the high-level party-government council is scheduled to be held at 6 p.m. on the 18th. As usual, the Prime Minister, the People Power Party leader, and the Chief Presidential Secretary will attend. The high-level party-government council, which has been held every Sunday, has not convened for three consecutive weeks recently. Although a party-government council was held on the 6th to respond to the 'Timon and Wemakeprice incident,' it was a 'one-point' meeting without high-level attendance, so it cannot be considered a regular meeting.

If the meeting is held this time, it will be the first high-level party-government-presidential meeting under Han's leadership. The agenda may include the pension reform plan that President Yoon is expected to announce at the end of this month during a national briefing. A senior presidential office official said, "We are preparing a pension reform plan focusing on enhancing intergenerational equity and automatic stabilization mechanisms," adding, "We will also discuss it with the ruling party."

However, compared to before, there is an analysis that the influence of the high-level party-government council has weakened. A senior presidential office official explained, "There have been several occasions when the high-level party-government council did not convene before, and it is not necessarily held every week," adding, "It is held when there are issues to discuss." This differs somewhat from the presidential office's statement in a briefing last May that "the high-level party-government council held every Sunday discusses not only party-government policies but also broad issues concerning national governance."

The aftermath of the 'Yoon-Han (Yoon Seok-yeol and Han Dong-hoon) conflict' also appears to have influenced this. Recently, Leader Han opposed the Liberation Day special pardon and reinstatement plan, which included the reinstatement of former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, and has distanced the party leadership from the pro-Yoon faction, opposing the presidential office. Although both sides exercised restraint regarding the Liberation Day pardon, temporarily resolving the issue, the incident reaffirmed the deep divide between the two sides. The high-level party-government policy councils, which the party leader does not attend, have been held almost every week, including this week.