Yoon: "22nd First-Term Members Are the Key Going Forward"... Also Mentioned Chu Mi-ae (Summary)

Dinner with First-Term Lawmakers from the Capital Region and TK
Invited to Hannam-dong Residence to Hear Public Sentiment

On the 16th, President Yoon Suk-yeol invited first-term lawmakers from the People Power Party representing the Seoul metropolitan area and Daegu·Gyeongbuk (TK) to his residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, for a private dinner meeting.

President Yoon had a dinner with the new ruling party leadership, including People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Hwang Woo-yeo, on the 13th, and just three days later, he continued his communication efforts by holding another dinner with first-term lawmakers.

President Yoon Suk-yeol. [Source=Yonhap News]

One of the attendees told Asia Economy, "President Yoon said that you all are the key going forward," adding, "He said we should unite and do well together." At the same time, President Yoon also urged them to "act according to your convictions." The attendee also said, "He mentioned that although we worked hard, the election results were not good," and "He encouraged us to stay strong and work even harder moving forward."

Yoon: "Unite tightly and fulfill the ruling party’s mission"

According to the Blue House and the ruling party, during the dinner with first-term lawmakers the previous day, President Yoon congratulated them on their election and received direct feedback on public sentiment from the Seoul metropolitan area and TK. Attendees included lawmakers-elect Kim Jae-seop (Seoul Dobong-gap), Seo Myeong-ok (Seoul Gangnam-gap), Park Soo-min (Seoul Gangnam-eul), Kim Yong-tae (Gyeonggi Pocheon·Gapyeong), Woo Jae-jun (Daegu Buk-gap), and Jo Ji-yeon (Gyeongbuk Gyeongsan). From the Blue House, Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho were present.

President Yoon listened to their opinions and expressed his intention to expand communication with the party going forward. At the meeting, he reportedly urged, "Let’s unite tightly and overcome difficult situations well. Please fulfill the mission of the ruling party."

People's Power Party elected members Kim Jaeseop and Kim Yongtae Photo by Yonhap News

During the dinner, there was also talk about the Democratic Party lawmakers’ general meeting where Woo Won-shik was selected as the candidate for National Assembly Speaker, defeating lawmaker-elect Chu Mi-ae. Since it was the first meeting, there was no mention of special prosecution-related matters.

Additionally, they exchanged views on major national issues such as low birthrate policies, resolving polarization, real estate, and securing momentum for state affairs. They also discussed the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the Seoul metropolitan area elections and considered ways to regain public support there.

One attendee said, "I thought President Yoon was a very strong person, but seeing him up close, there were many unexpected aspects, and I felt a lot of humanity." The dinner, which lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes, was attended by about ten first-term lawmakers from the Seoul metropolitan area and TK, while lawmaker-elect Yoo Young-ha was absent, according to ruling party sources.

Yoon’s continuous communication efforts with ruling party figures

Recently, President Yoon has been meeting with ruling party figures one after another to expand communication between the party and the government. On the 24th of last month, he invited People Power Party lawmakers who were not nominated or lost in the April 10 general election to a luncheon meeting at the Blue House State Guest House, where they had in-depth discussions about the causes of the election defeat. Following the dinner with the new ruling party leadership on the 13th and the meeting with first-term lawmakers on this day, President Yoon plans to continue holding dinner meetings by region.

A Blue House official explained, "This meeting with first-term lawmakers reflects the president’s determination to pay closer attention to people’s livelihoods," adding, "It means receiving public sentiment without filtering and strengthening communication with the party." The dinner menu included buckwheat noodles, sashimi, and porridge, and it is reported that they had a glass of beer together.

President Yoon is expected to hold two more private meal meetings with first-term lawmakers soon. The groups will be divided into Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam (PK) lawmakers and proportional representation lawmakers to share dinners and luncheons.

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