Yoon's Sudden Absence from 5th Public Livelihood Forum... Intensifying Rifts Between Party and Government (Comprehensive)

Presidential Office "Has Cold Symptoms"

President Yoon Suk-yeol's sudden decision to skip the fifth Livelihood Discussion scheduled for 10 a.m. on the 22nd has drawn attention to the background of this move.

The Blue House announced about 30 minutes before the Livelihood Discussion that President Yoon would have no public schedule that day.

President Yoon has been conducting the New Year's work reports in the form of Livelihood Discussions since this year to break down barriers between ministries and find solutions to current issues together with the public.

President Yoon personally presided over all four previous Livelihood Discussions, but on this day, he suddenly decided not to attend due to health reasons.

In political circles, President Yoon's sudden absence is seen as stemming from conflicts between the Blue House and Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chair of the People Power Party, over his position. Han hinted at maintaining his stance on responding to suspicions involving First Lady Kim Keon-hee that morning, intensifying the discord between the party and the Blue House.

Overnight, President Yoon and his aides held an emergency late-night meeting to find a solution to the controversy over Chair Han's resignation, but Han did not relent, resulting in a stalemate. Some aides in the Blue House suggested that the party and government should show unity to prevent the situation from worsening, but Han's refusal to resign made a dramatic resolution unlikely.

Blue House Anxious Over Potential Fallout on General Election

The Blue House is feeling significant psychological pressure as the ‘Kim Keon-hee risk’ is cited as a factor in the party-government conflict. Differences in stance over the allegations of First Lady Kim’s receipt of luxury handbags and conflicts over candidate nominations have expanded, amplifying internal cracks within the ruling party and raising concerns about negative repercussions for the upcoming general election. The confrontation between the President and Chair Han risks escalating into a direct clash, which could worsen public opinion amid the President’s already declining approval ratings.

With only about 80 days left until the general election, growing fissures within the ruling party and discord between the party and government could negatively affect voter sentiment.

In particular, the unresolved differences between President Yoon and Chair Han over the core issue of the First Lady’s luxury handbag allegations add weight to predictions that resolving the situation will be difficult. Chair Han stated on the 18th that "there are parts the public should be concerned about" regarding the luxury handbag case, followed by remarks on the 19th that it is "an issue to consider from the public’s perspective," and reiterated his unchanged position on the day of the discussion. This indicates that the Blue House still views the incident as a ‘political plot,’ highlighting the persistent gap in perspectives between Chair Han’s unilateral actions and the Blue House.

Accordingly, there is cautious speculation that Chair Han may attempt to assert independence in handling major issues starting with the First Lady’s allegations, seeking to redefine party-government relations.

As public attention focuses on the reason for President Yoon’s absence from the Livelihood Discussion, the Blue House explained, "President Yoon has had a hoarse throat and cold symptoms since morning," and "it seemed inappropriate for him to speak at a public event with a crowd, so he decided not to attend."

Deputy Prime Minister for Policy Coordination Bang Ki-sun is scheduled to preside over the discussion in place of the absent President. This marks an unusual New Year's work report without the President’s attendance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

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