Meeting Without Agenda Restrictions
Heightened Attention on 'Kim Yeo-sa Risk' Negotiations
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 September 24 in front of the fountain garden at the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon will meet on the afternoon of the 21st. Chief Secretary to the President Jeong Jin-seok will attend the meeting, and it is reported that there will be no restrictions on the agenda.
The presidential office announced on the 18th through a press release, "President Yoon is scheduled to have a meeting with Leader Han at 4:30 p.m. next Monday at the Yongsan Presidential Office."
Although Leader Han requested a private meeting, it is known that Chief Secretary Jeong will attend the talks. The exact location of the meeting has not been decided.
The biggest point of interest in this meeting is whether President Yoon and Leader Han can reach some level of agreement on resolving the risks related to Mrs. Kim.
Leader Han has already presented the 'three major demands': suspension of Mrs. Kim's external activities, personnel reshuffle in the presidential office, and cooperation in investigating allegations related to Mrs. Kim.
At the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly the day before, Leader Han pointed out, "Political issues related to Mrs. Kim have repeatedly overshadowed everything, causing the government's reform efforts to fail to gain public support," adding, "There have been actions that do not meet the public's expectations, and public sentiment has deteriorated severely."
It is expected that Leader Han will make similar demands during his meeting with President Yoon.
However, it is uncertain to what extent President Yoon will agree. If visible measures to resolve the risks related to Mrs. Kim are presented, it could somewhat ease the conflict between Yoon and Han and find a breakthrough, but the likelihood of this is considered low.
In fact, within the presidential office, there are strong negative voices regarding the personnel reshuffle mentioned by Leader Han, saying, "Personnel appointments are the president's exclusive authority." The presidential office also maintains the position that the so-called 'Hannam-dong line,' close aides of Mrs. Kim, "does not exist."
If this meeting ends at a simple encounter level, the rift between the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Suk-yeol) faction and the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction is expected to deepen further, worsening the momentum for national governance.
In addition to the Mrs. Kim issue, medical reform and other agenda items will also be discussed at the meeting. Leader Han is expected to urge the normalization of the 'ruling-opposition parliamentary consultative body' through the replacement of government officials responsible for increasing the number of medical school admissions.
It is also reported that he may demand the regularization of meetings with President Yoon to establish a party-government communication system and the appointment of a special inspector, a currently vacant position.
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