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A dinner at the office that went nowhere

Published: 25 Sep. 2024, 19:59

The dinner on Tuesday between President Yoon Suk Yeol and the leadership of the People Power Party (PPP), including its leader Han Dong-hoon, made us wonder if they are really eligible to govern the crisis-stricken country. Despite the rare meeting of the governing force, the president and PPP leaders didn’t discuss urgent issues like their discord over resolving the medical crisis or the opposition-proposed special motion to investigate first lady Kim Keon Hee’s alleged corruption.

We cannot but ask why both sides had a dinner meeting that day. The presidential office said it was a gathering for the president to encourage PPP leaders for the unity of the conservative government. Could they really afford such composure at times like this?

The president’s approval rating plunged to 20 percent, the lowest ever since Yoon took office in 2022. Coupled with the majority opposition’s persistent attacks on the presidential couple, liberal civic groups are poised to stage a massive rally to impeach the president for his incompetence to run the country. In the meantime, the self-employed are struggling to stay afloat amid a prolonged recession and hospital ERs are suffering from a critical lack of emergency medicine doctors after the collective walkout of trainee doctors in protest of the government’s rush to increase the medical school admissions quota. North Korea also continues flying waste-filled balloons to South Korea. How could the leaders of the PPP and the government only exchange greetings under such circumstances?

The primary responsibility for the mess falls on the presidential office. Han reportedly hoped to deliver the worsening public sentiment about the president and his wife if an exclusive meeting with the president was approved. But Han was even blocked from making a statement in the meeting at the presidential office. If the leader of the governing party cannot talk to the president candidly, who really can?

The PPP leader is not free from responsibility for the chaos, either. In Tuesday’ dinner, Han once again requested a one-on-one meeting with the president through the presidential secretary for political affairs — and made it public through his aides. But such a face-to-face meeting demands mutual trust. If Han leaks his request for such a meeting to the news media, the president cannot but harbor suspicion over his political motives.

If the current conflict between Yoon and Han continues, both will suffer irreparable damages. As political leaders, the two must discuss effective ways to turn the tide against the president and the PPP. Both leaders must respect one another in the first place. We look forward to hearing the news about an upcoming meeting between the two.