President's Absence from Opening Ceremony, First Time Since 1987
President Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a 'National Briefing and Press Conference' at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 29th of last month. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol did not attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly held on the 2nd. This is the first time since the launch of the Sixth Republic system in 1987 that a president has been absent from the National Assembly opening ceremony. A presidential office official said on the day regarding President Yoon's absence from the National Assembly opening ceremony, "The proper procedure is to first normalize the National Assembly, which has been recklessly issuing special prosecution laws and impeachment motions."
Since the day before, when Han Dong-hoon of the People Power Party and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party held a meeting between ruling and opposition party leaders for the first time in 11 years, opening the door to dialogue, the judgment was made to observe the situation and look for opportunities for cooperation. Although the ruling and opposition party leaders put their heads together and reached a broad agreement, there is a high possibility of conflict over detailed tasks, and the difference in views between the presidential office and the opposition on key contentious issues is large, reflecting President Yoon's intention that it is too early to make a gesture of reconciliation.
A presidential office official said, "It is inappropriate for President Yoon to give an opening speech at the National Assembly when Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hyun-hee has not apologized at all for her 'murderer' remark, and the opposition party is pressuring the government by pushing through various hearings and contentious bills based on their number of seats." Lawmaker Jeon caused controversy by saying on the 15th of last month at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee regarding the death of a bureau-level official of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, "Kim Geon-hee and Yoon Suk-yeol killed him. Murderers," and although the presidential office demanded an apology, Lawmaker Jeon did not comply.
Within the presidential office, some dissatisfaction is also sensed regarding the opposition's attitude toward the opening ceremony. Once the National Assembly begins its term, the opening ceremony is the top priority, and since the opening ceremony is being delayed, there is a stance that the invitation of the president, a major guest, should be actively pursued, but this consideration has not been made. A presidential office official pointed out, "Usually, the president gives a speech at the opening ceremony, emphasizing the importance of cooperation and urging the role of the National Assembly," adding, "However, the current National Assembly situation is such that it can only be suspected that they plan to call President Yoon for picket protests and to disgrace him."
Speaker Woo Won-shik tried to hold the opening ceremony on July 5th, but the ceremony was postponed as the ruling and opposition parties engaged in extreme confrontation over the handling of the Special Prosecution Law for Corporal Chae and the impeachment petition hearing for President Yoon. Later, Speaker Woo announced that the National Assembly opening ceremony would be held on the 2nd, coinciding with the opening of the regular session, but the presidential office decided to be absent, interpreting that the situation in the National Assembly has not changed from two months ago.
Experts pointed out that the ruling and opposition parties continue a two-track strategy showing only superficial communication efforts, making it impossible to find a genuine path to cooperation. Park Sang-byeong, a professor at Inha University Graduate School of Policy, said, "It is extremely unusual for the president not to attend the National Assembly opening ceremony, which goes against the public's expectation for communication and cooperation," adding, "In a situation where the opposition holds more seats, President Yoon, who realistically needs the opposition's cooperation, should empower the ruling party leader and make efforts to keep the spark of dialogue alive."
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