Moon-Yoon meeting canceled due to unfinished working-level consultation

Mar 17, 2022, 09:30 am

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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol heads to the Financial Supervisory Service training center in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on March 16, 2022, after the meeting with President Moon Jae-in was canceled./ Source Press Corps

AsiaToday reporter Chun Hyun-bin

The old and new political currents collided. A planned luncheon between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has been canceled, with the presidential transition getting off a rocky start.

“We decided to reschedule the meeting because working-level consultations have not been completed,” Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said in a statement. This indicates the two sides failed to fine-tune the issues to be put on the discussion table prior to the meeting. The president-elect’s side also explained that the agreement was not finalized. Moon and Yoon had been scheduled to hold a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Wednesday.

Both sides did not provide details behind the reason for the postponement. Yoon’s spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said at a briefing that both sides agreed to not disclose details on the reason. Pre-meeting talks have been led by Lee Cheol-hee, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, and Yoon’s chief of staff Chang Je-won to set the agenda for the meeting.

Analysts say ultimate conflicts between the two sides could have emerged over ex-President Lee Myung-bak’s pardon and personnel changes. Many political observers say Yoon’s push to place former President Lee’s amnesty as a major agenda item for the meeting put Cheong Wa Dae under pressure.

Besides, the issue of pardoning former South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Kyung-soo was one of the agenda, which could also put burden on Cheong Wa Dae as it could be seen as a give-and-take political transaction between the old and new powers. The insufficient time to discuss the amnesty issues is also pointed out as one of the reasons behind the postponement of the meeting.

Political observers say the controversy over the authority to appoint top officials may have had an impact. Yoon had asked Cheong Wa Dae to consult his team on personnel appointments for public institutions. However, Cheong Wa Dae hinted that it would continue to exercise its right for any personnel changes. A senior Cheong Wa Dae official clarified with reporters Tuesday that Moon’s term of office continues until May 9.

In addition, the two sides may have clashed on the abolition of the post of senior secretary for civil affairs. Yoon raised the need for the abolition, saying that it has been abused to conduct secret investigations on the public. However, Cheong Wa Dae expressed displeasure at Yoon’s decision. “It is not appropriate to use what the current government has not done as a basis for abolishing the office,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said.

When asked whether the reason for the cancellation of the meeting was due to the issue of ex-President Lee’s amnesty, a key official from Yoon’s side said, “The authority to decide on amnesty rests with the president, so there was no conflict over the issue.” The official added that the two sides needed more time to set the agenda because they did not have sufficient discussions before the meeting.

This is the first case where a meeting between the incumbent president and president-elect was canceled after plans were made public.

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