Yoon "Heeding the People's Will for Government Reform"... Prime Minister and Chief of Staff Submit Resignations

by Lee Kimin

Published 11 Apr.2024 11:06(KST)

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated, following the ruling People Power Party's crushing defeat in the 22nd National Assembly general election (April 11 election), "We will humbly accept the will of the people expressed in the general election, reform the administration, and do our best to stabilize the economy and people's livelihoods."

Lee Kwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning and conveyed President Yoon's position on the election results on his behalf.

This is interpreted as an expression of intent to reform the administration after the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat, pushed aside by the opposition parties such as the Democratic Party of Korea, which raised the issue of judging the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in this election.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Senior aides at the Presidential Office and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo tendered their resignations. A senior official at the Presidential Office told reporters that day, "As you can see from the election results, to heed the will of the people, it is natural to reform the administration, and to reform the administration, personnel reform must come first. Except for the National Security Office, the Chief of Staff, Policy Chief, and Senior Secretaries have all submitted their resignations to the President. Prime Minister Han also verbally tendered his resignation to President Yoon."

When asked by reporters, "President Yoon said he would take good care of people's livelihoods and the economy, but it may be difficult to pass key legislation on livelihoods without opposition cooperation. Does this mean he intends to engage in close communication and cooperation with the opposition?" the official replied, "You may interpret it that way."

When asked, "How do President Yoon and the Presidential Office assess the cause of the election results?" the official said, "President Yoon believed from before the election started that whatever the outcome, it would be the people's evaluation of his administration's performance so far," adding, "We will take time to reflect on the election results."