Analysis: Choi's Acting Presidency Deemed 'Time-Limited'
Yoon Meets Ruling Party Lawmakers... Maintains Cautious Messaging
As President Yoon Seok-yeol returned to the presidential residence, evaluations suggest that the presidential office's influence over state affairs has strengthened, while the scope of action for Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who also serves as Minister of Strategy and Finance, has narrowed. Immediately after being released from Seoul Detention Center on the 8th, President Yoon made no mention of Acting President Choi, the current head of state affairs, but said, "I hope the presidential office will continue to firmly maintain its central role in state affairs."
On the other hand, there is an analysis that the Choi acting administration has effectively become 'time-limited.' Prime Minister Han Duck-soo may soon return to his acting duties through a Constitutional Court ruling dismissing the impeachment. Acting President Choi must decide whether to exercise the right of reconsideration (veto) on the Special Prosecutor Act concerning Myung Tae-gyun and whether to appoint Ma Eun-hyuk as a Constitutional Court justice, with speculation that decisions may favor the ruling party. In the case of the Myung Tae-gyun Special Prosecutor Act, the deadline for exercising the veto is by the 15th. The People Power Party has already requested Acting President Choi to exercise the veto.
After his release from the detention center, President Yoon rested at the presidential residence and is now taking a cautious approach while awaiting the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling. Although his clenched fists at the time of release led some to speculate that he might engage in 'residence politics,' he is refraining from official duties and message dissemination due to his suspension from office.
A presidential office official said, "It is unlikely that President Yoon will immediately leave the residence to meet supporters or issue official messages," adding, "He will remain at the residence and wait for the impeachment ruling." It was explained that no separate official message is currently being prepared. However, President Yoon's legal team continues to engage in off-site public opinion campaigns, such as visiting supporters on hunger strike.
With the impeachment ruling imminent, the presidential office is busy managing schedules in preparation for a possible dismissal. The presidential office held a senior secretaries meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok the previous afternoon and conducted the usual tea time chaired by the Chief Secretary on the morning of the same day. A presidential office official said, "President Yoon may meet with ruling party officials and others who come to pay visits, but he will not actively engage in external activities," adding, "He is expected to remain at the residence and wait cautiously for the ruling."
Regarding some reports that the presidential office will prepare supplementary measures related to medical reform, the office stated, "Since the decision on the president's return to duty has not been made, reports that existing policies are being overturned or that supplementary measures are being prepared in advance are not true." They added, "Currently, efforts are focused on managing the return of medical students well and ensuring as many as possible return, as well as on the prompt legislation of the supply and demand estimation bill under discussion in the National Assembly."
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