[Yongsan Report] Ruling Party's Internal Strife... 'Livelihood Control Tower' Also Ineffective

Yoon-Han Conflict Continues as Intra-Party Factional Strife Intensifies
High-Level Party-Government Council on Hiatus for Two Months... Ineffective
Exports Decline Amid Ruling Party's Internal Discord, Livelihood Issues Accumulate
Presidential Office "Concerned About Semiconductors... Monitoring Samsung Electronics"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is meeting with Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, at the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 21st, and they are moving to a place for a casual conversation.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

As internal strife within the ruling party deepens, the High-Level Party-Government Council, which had positioned itself as the 'livelihood control tower,' has effectively lost its function. With distrust and conflict between the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol) faction and the pro-Han (pro-Han Dong-hoon) faction reaching an irreparable level, communication at the senior level within the party and between the party and government has become difficult. As the third-quarter growth shock intensifies and various livelihood issues pile up, concerns are emerging that risks originating from the ruling party could hamper the economy.

According to the Blue House and the People Power Party on the 25th, the High-Level Party-Government Council, attended by the Chief of Staff to the President, the ruling party leader, the floor leader, and the Prime Minister, has been in a state of suspension for two months. Inside the Blue House, there is a sentiment that communication with Representative Han, who has been escalating attacks against President Yoon daily, is impossible. In particular, around the meeting between Yoon and Han on the 21st, there has been significant criticism of Representative Han, not only at the secretary level but also among administrative officers, regarding Han's three major demands related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee and the appointment of a special inspector. A Blue House official said, "I really wonder why the party leader is acting like that," adding, "It would be normal to act like Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho."

The problem is that factional conflicts within the ruling party are also affecting livelihood policies. The original purpose of the High-Level Party-Government Council was to gather opinions on sensitive livelihood issues at a senior level and accelerate legislative and institutional improvements at the party-government level, but recently it has failed to fulfill this purpose. As a result, some in the pro-Yoon faction are even voicing that "the High-Level Party-Government Council should continue centered on the floor leader, excluding Representative Han, who is outside the National Assembly."

In fact, the ruling-opposition-government consultation body, which is mentioned as a solution to resolve legislative conflicts, has yet to produce significant results, and key tasks such as pension and labor reforms remain stagnant. The Blue House's originally planned support measures for self-employed workers, scheduled to be announced in mid-this month, have been postponed to next month. As the government enters the second half of the year, it is a time to secure momentum for state affairs management, but there are no clear achievements.

Especially within the Blue House, there is considerable concern that the economy may decline. A senior Blue House official said, "The sluggish exports in the third quarter were influenced by factors such as the automobile strike, and we do not yet see exports peaking and declining," but added, "It is true that there are worries in the semiconductor industry. We are closely monitoring Samsung Electronics and semiconductor exports."