Yoon to Have Dinner with Ruling Party Floor Leaders Including Choo Kyung-ho Tomorrow... Han Dong-hoon Excluded

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

On the 2nd, President Yoon Suk-yeol is scheduled to host a dinner at the presidential office, inviting People Power Party floor leader Choo Kyung-ho and other party leadership, according to reports on the 1st.

According to multiple ruling party officials, President Yoon plans to invite Floor Leader Choo, Policy Committee Chair Kim Sang-hoon, Floor Deputy Leader Bae Jun-young, as well as ruling party members who serve as chairpersons and secretaries of National Assembly standing committees.

Han Dong-hoon, the People Power Party leader who has been persistently requesting a private meeting with President Yoon, was excluded.

The dinner was arranged to encourage the ruling party floor leadership ahead of the National Assembly’s audit session starting on the 7th. It is an annual event held before the audit every year.

However, some speculate that President Yoon’s invitation is aimed at consolidating party votes ahead of the re-vote in the National Assembly on the special investigation bill concerning First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

President Yoon can exercise his veto power by the 4th on three bills passed solely by the opposition in the plenary session of the National Assembly: the Kim Special Investigation Bill, the Chae Sang-byeong Special Investigation Bill, and the Local Currency Act. The opposition plans to push for a plenary session on the 4th or Saturday the 5th to force a re-vote if the president exercises his veto.

For the special investigation bill to pass in the re-vote, at least eight members of the ruling party must defect. Therefore, the ruling party is determined to maintain a united front.

On the 24th of last month, President Yoon invited Leader Han and Floor Leader Choo along with other People Power Party leadership to Yongsan for a dinner. Leader Han requested a private meeting with President Yoon before and after the dinner, but the presidential office has not issued any statement regarding this.