No Opening Remarks or Toasts at Party Leader's Meal
Some Criticize "No Opportunity to Address Korea's Current Issues"
Jang Dong-hyeok "Regret No Private Meeting"
This Week Must Secure Yoon's Private Meeting and Medical Sector Participation
The dinner between President Yoon Suk-yeol and the leadership of the People Power Party ended without any discussion on major issues such as legislative conflicts or the matter of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, leading to criticism among attendees that it was a 'fruitless' meeting. As the People Power Party has set this week as the deadline to announce the launch plan for the ruling-opposition-government consultation body, Representative Han Dong-hoon, who has been focusing his political efforts on this issue, now faces the situation of having to secure a dialogue, including a private meeting with President Yoon.
An official who attended the dinner between President Yoon and the People Power Party leadership told Asia Economy on the 25th, "Due to the setup and atmosphere of the dinner, Representative Han did not have an opportunity to speak about major issues," adding, "I am worried about how the public will perceive this." Although the presidential office described the atmosphere as 'cordial,' concerns about the ruling party-government relationship have surfaced among some close allies.
At the dinner held for an hour and a half the previous day at the Fountain Garden in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Yoon mainly explained the achievements related to his visit to the Czech Republic and nuclear power to the ruling party leadership, and discussed the upcoming National Assembly audit schedule planned for next month. Since there were no opening remarks or toasts from the party leader, which are usually part of such dinners between the president and the ruling party leadership, there was reportedly no natural opportunity to discuss issues such as medical reform or the First Lady's matters. Jang Dong-hyuk, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party and a close ally, said in an SBS radio interview that "some people might feel a bit disappointed that it was just a dinner and ended there," and added, "It was not an atmosphere conducive to in-depth discussions on current issues, so in that sense, the lack of a private meeting is more regrettable."
Especially with the failure to hold a private meeting with President Yoon, a red light has been turned on again regarding the formation of the ruling-opposition-government consultation body, so Representative Han is expected to continue a two-track persuasion strategy with the presidential office and the medical community. Representative Han has been continuously persuading the medical community for the formation of the consultation body, and the People Power Party has also declared that a concrete outline for the launch of the consultation body will emerge this week. Earlier, Han Ji-a, the senior spokesperson for the People Power Party, told reporters at the National Assembly communication office the previous day, "The medical community is still in dialogue regarding the formation of the consultation body, aiming to have an outline by this week." For this reason, immediately after the dinner ended, Representative Han again requested a private meeting with Chief Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho, asking to arrange a meeting with the president soon to discuss current issues. It is known that Representative Han decided to publicly disclose to the media that he re-requested the private meeting with Chief Secretary Hong, considering that tensions between him and the presidential office arose due to reports about the private meeting request, which led to its cancellation.
A People Power Party official said, "This week, there will be a clear division among organizations participating in the ruling-opposition-government consultation body, those refusing to participate, and those withholding their stance," adding, "Representative Han will try to secure the maximum number of participating medical organizations before then and will continue attempts to communicate with President Yoon and government officials responsible for medical reform."
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