Criticism Pours In Over Yoon-Han Empty-Handed Dinner... Woo Won-sik Asks "What Did the Government Do?"

Democratic Party: "Han Dong-hoon, Are You Afraid of Prosecutor Seniors' Words?"

Criticism poured in after the dinner between President Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, failed to yield any significant results. Speaker Woo Won-shik held the Yoon administration responsible, while the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out Han's failure to raise pressing issues such as the medical crisis.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a walk with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, other People Power Party leaders, and presidential office aides after a dinner hosted by the People Power Party leadership on the 24th at the Fountain Garden in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, at a discussion hosted by the Korea Broadcasting Journalists Club held at the Broadcasting Hall in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Speaker Woo said, "I tried to hold a ruling-opposition-government consultation body before Chuseok," adding, "Both the ruling party leader and the opposition leader met with the Korean Medical Association, but I have no idea what the government has done." The Democratic Party had attempted to pass the Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act and Chae Sang-byeong Special Prosecutor Act on the 12th, but Speaker Woo postponed the plenary session to the 19th, prioritizing the resolution of the medical crisis.

Speaker Woo criticized, "The public holds President Yoon Suk-yeol and his government primarily responsible for making this issue complicated and difficult," and added, "Even though the Speaker is stepping in to buy time and proposing the formation of a ruling-opposition-government consultation body, the government’s complete lack of response is very wrong." Furthermore, he urged, "What the Yoon administration must do is not to subjugate the medical community but to protect the lives and safety of the people," and called on the government to "participate in social dialogue with open minds and knees to flexibly resolve this issue."

The Democratic Party also criticized the government and ruling party for their empty-handed dinner meeting. The Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Medical Crisis Countermeasures stated in a press release that "At a time when the medical crisis is worsening and the lives and health of the people are threatened, it is shocking that President Yoon and Leader Han merely had a meal," adding, "The 1 hour and 30 minutes spent was not a substantive discussion for the lives and health of the people but just a mealtime."

They further pointed out, "Leader Han himself said the golden time to address the medical crisis is passing, yet he could not even mention the word 'medical' when meeting President Yoon," and criticized, "We cannot understand the ruling party leader’s attitude of not speaking up unless it is a private meeting." They added, "Is Leader Han more afraid of his senior prosecutors than the desperate voices of the people? Instead of insisting on a private meeting, he should have frankly discussed the pressing issues."

President Yoon and Leader Han held the dinner the previous day at the Fountain Garden in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul. It is known that no discussion related to the medical crisis took place during the dinner. Leader Han had requested a private meeting with President Yoon before the dinner but was refused.