Yoon Suk-yeol: "No Special Agenda at Blue House Meeting... Will Focus on Livelihood and Security Issues" (Update)

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol [Image source=Yonhap News]

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the afternoon of the 28th that he will have a conversation without any special agenda during the meeting with President Moon Jae-in to be held at Sangchunjae in the Blue House. This meeting will take place 19 days after the presidential election on the 9th, making it the latest meeting between outgoing and incoming powers in history.

On the same day, at the transition office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Yoon responded to reporters' questions about what he would discuss with President Moon regarding the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan and the supplementary budget by saying, "(In the broad meeting with President Moon) there is no special agenda," adding, "There will be talks about people’s livelihood and security."

Amid sharp conflicts between the two sides over recent issues such as the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan and the appointment of members to the Central Election Commission, there are expectations that sensitive political issues will be excluded from the conversation. Yoon reiterated, "No special agenda has been set." He will have a dinner meeting with President Moon at Sangchunjae in the Blue House at 6 p.m. that day. It is expected that Presidential Chief of Staff Yoo Young-min and Chief of Staff to the President-elect Jang Je-won will accompany them.

The biggest agenda at this meeting is expected to be the issue of compensation for losses caused by COVID-19. Spokesperson Kim Eun-hye said that day, "There are many pressing livelihood issues, but I think the issue of COVID compensation promised to the people will be actively requested for cooperation and support from the Blue House," adding, "the COVID compensation issue should be addressed most urgently."

Spokesperson Kim explained the dinner meeting by saying, "Since there is no predetermined agenda, it will be an opportunity for frank discussions, but the President-elect is thinking about people’s livelihood above all else," adding, "I think ways to ease the public’s worries and support those suffering from COVID will naturally come up during the conversation." She further added, "President-elect Yoon intends to approach this with an attitude of taking unlimited responsibility for people’s livelihood."

Regarding the supplementary budget of 50 trillion won for compensation and the President-elect’s new government’s livelihood policy direction, Spokesperson Kim said, "In cases where the government’s administrative orders such as business restrictions or social distancing have caused damage to the people, the state has an obligation to compensate for losses," and added, "I believe the current government will empathize fully and act responsibly on the urgent and desperate COVID issues regardless of party lines."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.