Yoon apologizes for election defeat, accepts public sentiment

President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks on the results of last week's general election for the first time during a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday apologized to the people for the disappointing results of the general election, the presidential office said, while promising to better communicate with the public.

"I am sorry as president for failing to carefully consider and uphold the will of the people," Yoon said to his aides in his closing remarks as he presided over a Cabinet meeting, according to a senior presidential official later in the day, making the first public apology for his conservative People Power Party's (PPP) crushing defeat last week.

The liberal Democratic Party (DP) and its satellite party, the Democratic United Party (DUP), secured a total of 175 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, while Yoon's PPP and its affiliated People Future Party (PFP) claimed 108 seats.

"As the president, it is first and foremost my fault, and from now on, as the president, I will communicate better and more frequently," the president was quoted as saying. He then asked his ministers and government officials to "also strengthen communication with the public."

Yoon recognized that his administration's handling of state affairs "was sternly evaluated by the people" through the result, acknowledging that essentially, he "needs to communicate more."

In his live televised opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting with key aides in attendance, Yoon said that he "humbly accepts" the sentiment behind the outcome of Wednesday's parliamentary elections, marking his first public remarks on the resultant landslide victory for the DP.

"The government's reason to exist is to help people in need and take care of their livelihoods," Yoon said. "In that aspect, I humbly accept the public sentiment expressed through this general election."

Stressing that his top priority would be the livelihoods of the people, he said, "I will listen to public sentiment and communicate more with a more humble and flexible attitude."

Yoon added, "Over the past two years since taking office, I have walked a path for our national interest keeping in mind only the people, but I have failed to live up to public expectations," while going on to say, "Even though I did my best to set the right direction for state affairs and put this into practice, it was not enough to create a tangible change that the people could feel."

Yoon admitted that even though his policies were intended to help "the people in the grander scheme of things," they were "lacking in terms of details."

"No matter how right the direction of state affairs is and how many good policies are promoted, if the people do not feel actual change, the government has not fulfilled its role," he said.

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and many presidential aides, including Yoon's chief of staff Lee Kwan-seop, resigned to take responsibly for the disappointing election results.

On the same day, Yoon said through his presidential office, "I will humbly accept the will of the people expressed through the general election and do my best to reform state affairs and stabilize the economy and people's livelihoods."

During Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, the president further pledged to pursue his administration's three major reforms for labor, education and pension, as well as medical reform, adding that he will "also take more care and listen to reasonable opinions."

He appeared to intimate that his administration will not back down in the ongoing clash between the government and doctors over the plan to increase the medical school admissions quota.

Yoon indicated that any "gaps" will be filled by further collecting public opinion through town hall meetings.

The president has faced criticism for not holding a press conference to directly answer reporters' questions, including avoiding a New Year's press conference. Instead, he has opted to hold a series of public livelihood debates in town halls conducted across the nation to discuss various social and economic issues directly with the people since the beginning of the year.

Yoon also addressed concerns regarding Iran's recent drone and missile attack on Israel and the impact it could have on supply chains and Korea's economy.

"The instability in the Middle East is directly linked to a rise in international oil prices, which will have a huge impact on our economy and supply chains," he said.

He noted that 60 percent of the oil used by Korea is transported through the Strait of Hormuz, with a 72 percent dependence on Middle Eastern crude oil.

Yoon noted that the "enormous increase in transportation costs and the rise in international oil prices will lead directly to a rise in our prices."

He asked each ministry to "do its best to manage the situation by operating an analysis and management system for energy supply and demand and the supply chain, and to proactively respond to various types of risk factors that may arise."

He also told his aides in regard to the instability of the Middle East situation to "maintain a firm readiness posture for the impact this may have on our security and the possibility of provocations by North Korea."

"I will humbly honor the will of the people expressed in the general election, reform state affairs and do my best to stabilize the economy and people's livelihoods," Yoon repeated during the meeting, according to the presidential official.

The president added that he will "not hesitate to do anything for the sake of the people's livelihoods."

The official also left open the possibility that Yoon will hold talks with DP Chairman Lee Jae-myung. The president has yet to hold an official one-on-one meeting with Lee since taking office.

"Everything is open," the official said, saying Yoon had asserted that "there is nothing he wouldn't do for the people."

The official noted, however, that time is still needed to arrange such talks, especially with the new National Assembly launching next month.

The rival parties had differing responses to Yoon's remarks in the Cabinet meeting.

The DP described them as "completely ignoring the people who expected even the slightest change in state affairs" following the April 10 general election, seen as a referendum on the Yoon administration.

"Instead of reflecting on the lack of communication in running state affairs, he only made excuses that the direction was right but the performance was poor," Han Min-soo, a DP spokesperson, said in a statement. "Rather than showing remorse, he made a self-righteous declaration that he will continue his Yongsan-led, non-communication politics, just like before."

Han claimed that Yoon had "rejected the people's stern calls for a change in the direction of state affairs because of his stubbornness."

In contrast, the PPP highlighted the prioritization of the people's livelihoods in the message, and promised to increase communication with the government.

"We will expand communication channels with the government to cooperate closely, while conveying and coordinating the voices of the people without negating anyone," PPP spokesperson Jung Hee-yong said in a statement. "The PPP and the Yoon government will work even harder to get closer to the people's livelihoods, listen to their voices and show sincerity."

The PPP currently faces a leadership vacuum following its electoral defeat last week, which led to interim chief Han Dong-hoon, the former justice minister and a close confidant of the president, resigning from the post last Thursday.

On Tuesday, the PPP said it will form a new working-level emergency steering committee tasked with preparing for a party convention, which could take place as early as June.

Rep. Yun Jae-ok, the PPP's floor leader and acting chief, said the participants have agreed to swiftly launch the interim leadership to bring the party together after the election loss.

If a new emergency steering committee is formed, it will already be the fourth interim leadership committee since the start of the Yoon administration and install the fifth party head over the course of two years.

The party also agreed to merge the PPP with its satellite PFP to consolidate its 108 parliamentary seats.

The PPP said it could hold a primary to elect a new floor leader on or around May 10, before the new National Assembly launches.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]