Yoon-Han meeting set for Monday

Oct 21, 2024, 09:55 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol shakes hands with Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, as he returns home from a state visit to the Philippines, Singapore and the ASEAN summit in Laos, at Seoul Airport, south of Seoul on Oct. 11, 2024./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

Attention is focusing on how much President Yoon Suk-yeol will accept People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon’s demands at a private meeting set on Monday afternoon.

Immediately after the by-elections last Wednesday, Han has been adding pressure on Yoon by presenting three major demands: suspension of external activities of First Lady Kim Keon-hee, cooperation to investigate suspicions related to Kim, and personnel reform of the presidential office.

While the approval ratings of President Yoon and the ruling PPP are falling together, Yoon is likely to seek a compromise by proposing some measures, such as Kim’s apology and full-fledged operation of the second secretary office. However, Han’s demand for personnel reshuffle in the presidential office is unlikely to be accepted. A senior official in the presidential office declined to answer regarding the agenda for the Yoon-Han meeting scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, saying, “President Yoon will judge and speak.”

Initially, Han wanted a one-on-one meeting with Yoon, but Presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-seok decided to attend the meeting.

There is no agenda coordinated by the two sides, but as Han has already made public his demands for Kim, the related issues are expected to be mainly discussed.

The presidential office seems to be displeased with the fact that Han added pressure on Yoon by mentioning the three requirements before meeting with Yoon.

It is unlikely to accept Han’s demand for a reshuffle at the presidential office, which is the president’s own authority.

Earlier, a senior official of the presidential office expressed displeasure last Monday, saying, “There is no first lady’s line.”

However, observers say that President Yoon may naturally carry out a personnel reshuffle at the end of the year or the beginning of the year as he is going around the halfway point of his term in November.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #Han Dong-hoon #meeting