Yoon-Han Begin Meeting at Presidential Office... Will They Find a Solution to the 'Kim Yeo-sa Risk'?

Meeting after two and a half months... Discussion on various issues
Ruling party's biggest crisis: Focus on 'Kim Yeo-sa Risk'

President Yoon Suk-yeol is shaking hands with Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, who came to greet him upon his return after completing an official visit to the Czech Republic at Seongnam Seoul Airport on September 22. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol and Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, began their meeting on the afternoon of the 21st at the Yongsan Presidential Office.

Attention is focused on whether they can find a solution to the various adverse issues surrounding First Lady Kim Geon-hee.

The Presidential Office announced through a press release that the meeting between President Yoon and Leader Han started around 4:54 p.m. in the outdoor garden called Pine Grass in front of the Presidential Office building.

The meeting is being held with Chief Presidential Secretary Jeong Jin-seok in attendance. There are no restrictions on the agenda, and the discussion is taking place in an informal conversational format.

This meeting between President Yoon and Leader Han is the first in two and a half months since their approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes private meeting on July 30. Although they had dinners together on July 24 and September 24, those were group gatherings, so the two did not discuss current issues separately.

On this day, President Yoon and Leader Han are expected to discuss the risk posed by First Lady Kim, which has emerged as the biggest adverse issue for the ruling party, as a key agenda item.

Earlier, on the 17th, Leader Han publicly presented three major demands related to First Lady Kim: personnel reshuffling within the Presidential Office, suspension of her external activities, and cooperation with procedures to clarify allegations.

How President Yoon will respond to this is a matter of interest. Many inside and outside the ruling party expect that President Yoon will focus on listening to Leader Han’s political views and the public sentiment he conveys rather than giving an immediate answer.

In addition, they are likely to discuss ways to resolve the medical policy conflicts triggered by the government’s healthcare reform. Given that conflicts between President Yoon and Leader Han have surfaced, strengthening communication between the party and government and restoring trust are also major agenda items.

Analysts say that the outcome of this meeting could significantly influence the power dynamics within the ruling party. If concrete results are achieved, it could help restore momentum in state affairs as well as improve party-government relations; otherwise, it is expected that governance will become even more difficult.