Yoon, After 100 Days in Office... 'Personnel Reshuffle and Visits to Livelihoods Increase' · 'Doorstepping Decreases'

Doorstepping 4 Times in 2 Weeks... Strengthening Visits to Minsheng Sites

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol is strengthening direct visits to the public alongside personnel reshuffling at the presidential office after his 100th day in office. Accordingly, the doorstepping (brief Q&A on the way to work) held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building is gradually decreasing.

According to the presidential office and political circles on the 4th, since President Yoon's 100th day in office, a high-intensity personnel reshuffle has been underway, with five secretaries and about 20 senior administrative officers below grade 2 resigning so far.

President Yoon had urged his aides in July to increase communication with reporters, but due to the recent personnel upheaval, the presidential aides are refraining from communicating with the press.

The presidential office explained that the purpose of this personnel reshuffle is to bring in capable personnel with the highest competence, but since an appointment committee was even convened due to recent document leaks, the aides intend to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings by limiting communication with reporters.

The doorstepping, through which President Yoon has revealed major issues and his governance philosophy to reporters, is also decreasing. From May 11, shortly after his inauguration, to August 16, President Yoon conducted doorstepping 36 times, but from August 17 to the present, he has done it only four times.

President Yoon's doorstepping, which was usually held 3 to 4 times a week, has been reduced by half, and the format changed from receiving about 5 to 6 questions until July to receiving about 2 questions immediately after his opening remarks.

The only days President Yoon skipped doorstepping by going straight from his home to the Yongsan Presidential Office in the morning were May 21, the day of the Korea-US summit; July 11, when COVID-19 began spreading among presidential office reporters; and July 22, the start of the Ulchi Exercise.

As doorstepping decreased, President Yoon has increased his morning external activities to directly engage with the public on economic and livelihood issues. On July 25, he visited Amsa Market in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, chaired the 6th Emergency Economic Livelihood Meeting, and discussed minimizing damage to small business owners and self-employed people and market development projects.

The next day, on July 26, after holding the 1st Regulatory Innovation Strategy Meeting in Daegu, he visited Seomun Market to listen to concerns about Chuseok prices and traditional market development plans.

On July 30, he visited the Family Center in Guro-gu, Seoul, met children from multicultural families, and listened to requests from center staff. The following day, July 31, the Emergency Economic Livelihood Meeting was held at Busan New Port in Changwon, Gyeongnam.

On August 1 in the morning, he held an on-site meeting to strengthen the crisis household detection system and visited households of elderly people living alone receiving basic living subsidies to hear their stories.

The presidential office describes President Yoon's actions as "the president's governance philosophy to get closer to the people's livelihood." President Yoon intends to demonstrate through his actions the emphasis he has consistently made in public on "economy and livelihood" and "welfare for the vulnerable, not political welfare."

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