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Acting President Han Deok-su urged Speaker Woo Won-sik for close cooperation. Speaker Woo emphasized the importance of public welfare and stressed that the National Stability Council proposed by Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, should be promptly activated. However, opposition from the People Power Party is expected to make the formation of the council difficult.
On the afternoon of the 15th, Acting President Han visited Speaker Woo at the National Assembly. This meeting was arranged at the request of Acting President Han following the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-youl the previous day.
Speaker of the National Assembly Woo Won-sik (right) and Acting Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met and talked at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 15th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
Speaker Woo first said, "From now on, it is more important than anything else to properly manage the situation and stabilize state affairs," adding, "The core principle of state administration must be firmly established with the people as the center." He continued, "The government and the National Assembly must unite to overcome the crisis," and emphasized, "Although there are some differences of opinion, it is very important to form and promptly activate a National Assembly-Government council."
Acting President Han said, "As Prime Minister, I feel a heavy responsibility regarding the passage of the presidential impeachment motion," and added, "I believe that the swift resolution of the current situation and stable state administration is my final duty in my long public service career, and I will devote all my efforts to it." He continued, "The government will focus solely on the people and do its best to overcome the crisis," and said, "All government decisions will be based on the Constitution, laws, and the nation's future, and we will cooperate and communicate closely with the National Assembly."
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Acting President, is paying a courtesy call on Speaker Woo Won-shik at the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 15th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
Park Tae-seo, the Chief Public Relations Officer for the Speaker of the National Assembly, told reporters after the two had a private meeting, "They discussed various agendas to overcome difficulties in national stability and the livelihood economy, including the supplementary budget (추경)."
Regarding the People Power Party's refusal to accept the proposal for the National Stability Council, he explained, "Since the Speaker is part of the National Assembly-Government council, naturally the ruling party should also be included," and added, "I understand that there are plans to communicate with the People Power Party on this issue soon."
When asked whether the possibility of exercising the right to request reconsideration (veto) of bills under Acting President Han's administration was discussed during the meeting, he said, "It was mentioned, but I don't think it reached the stage of revealing specific details," and added, "This will also be a topic to be comprehensively discussed once the National Stability Council is activated."
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at a press conference held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier that day, Leader Lee held a press conference and said, "We will actively cooperate with all parties to stabilize state affairs and restore international trust," and proposed "the formation of a National Stability Council involving both the National Assembly and the government." This is a plan to discuss policies at the National Assembly and government level to restore public welfare.
A senior government official expressed acceptance of this proposal, saying, "In accordance with the Constitution and laws, we are prepared to actively cooperate with the National Assembly, including both ruling and opposition parties, for the swift stabilization of state affairs."
However, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, effectively rejected the proposal, stating, "The People Power Party is still the ruling party, and as we have done so far, we intend to carry out responsible politics through party-government consultations until the end."
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