Han Deok-su Calls Private Cabinet Meeting, Urges 'National Stability'

Temporary Cabinet Meeting Switches to Closed Session with 40 Minutes Remaining
"Discussion on Sectoral Issues... Efforts to Pass Budget Bill in National Assembly"
'Resignation Roadmap' Questioned... No Mention at Government Level

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who has taken charge of managing state affairs, convened the cabinet to discuss issues in various sectors.

On the afternoon of the 8th, Prime Minister Han convened a meeting of cabinet members at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "Under no circumstances should the country’s operations be unstable, and the lives of the people must be protected," adding, "The entire cabinet must devote themselves fully to ensuring that government functions are maintained normally and that there is not a moment’s gap in state affairs."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is entering the Cabinet Members' Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News

Originally, Prime Minister Han had announced a temporary cabinet meeting around 2 p.m., but about 40 minutes before the meeting, it was changed to a closed-door briefing. The Prime Minister’s Office cited the absence of any agenda requiring a vote as the reason, but some view this as a move to be mindful of opposition parties’ backlash against the Han Duck-soo?Han Dong-hoon People Power Party leadership.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the briefing shared the cabinet members’ understanding of the recent state affairs and discussed plans to focus more intensively on issues in areas such as diplomacy and security, economy, and society. Additionally, there is a policy to do their utmost to ensure that the budget bill and related subsidiary bills submitted by the government pass through the National Assembly promptly.

President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized for the emergency martial law declared on the night of the 3rd and expressed his intention to entrust state management to the ruling party and government. Prime Minister Han plans to seek solutions based on cooperation between the party and government, but it appears difficult to reach an agreement on next year’s budget bill and other matters with the major opposition party while lacking momentum in state affairs.

Prime Minister Han and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon jointly issued a public statement at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the same day. Prime Minister Han focused on maintaining stable national functions, while Leader Han expressed a position to minimize confusion among the public by advocating for President Yoon’s "orderly early resignation."

Meanwhile, the weekly meeting scheduled for 12 noon on the 9th between President Yoon and Prime Minister Han was also canceled. Since the government’s inception, President Yoon has met with Prime Minister Han every Monday, barring special circumstances, to share opinions on overall state affairs. However, considering the strong demands for resignation following the martial law incident, the schedule appears to have been canceled.

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