It is reported that at the dinner meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and the People Power Party leadership, the issue of the so-called ‘double special prosecution’, that is, the Kim Kun-hee Special Act and the Chae Sang-byeong Special Act, was not mentioned at all. However, unlike the previous banquet where party leaders were invited by Representative Han Dong-hoon, it was noteworthy that the floor leaders were given the opportunity to speak in turns.
Shin Dong-wook, senior floor spokesperson, said in a briefing at the National Assembly after the banquet on the 2nd that President Yoon Seok-yeol said in his opening remarks, “I hope that it will be a National Assembly Inspector General that puts national interests first and the livelihood of the people, rather than a National Assembly Inspector General who engages in political strife and fights with the opposition party,” and “The number may be small, but a productive National Assembly inspection of 100 people per day is needed.” “I hope it happens,” he said. The dinner lasted approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
President Yoon also spoke about the issue of medical reform during a conversation with lawmakers, saying, “We are now an aging society, and medical reform is absolutely necessary in a situation where essential and local medical services are collapsing. It is a task that cannot be postponed.” He added, “Medical reform will inevitably falter.” He emphasized his position that “we must proceed without it.” President Yoon said, “Medical reform is not being promoted with doctors as the antipodes,” adding, “It is to provide commensurate compensation in areas that provide essential needs to our people, and it is a preparation for the increase in medical demand in the future.”
Regarding President Yoon’s well-wishes, floor leader Choo Kyung-ho said, “We are preparing in a difficult environment, but we will respond well. As we are the ruling party, we will fight against the opposition party’s unfair attacks, but we will create a National Assembly for the people’s livelihood and become a national assemblyman that fulfills its responsibilities as the ruling party.” “I will try my best,” he responded.
As the banquet on this day was an event prepared to encourage the leadership of the National Assembly ahead of the National Assembly audit, Han Dong-hoon, representative of the People Power Party, who was outside the National Assembly, was not invited. As a result, controversy arose in some political circles about ‘Han Dong-hoon’s passing’, but Shin, senior vice-president of the floor, said, “The Office of the Senior Secretary to the President for Political Affairs and the Office of the Floor Leader contacted me on both sides to explain that the event was being held, and one representative readily responded, ‘I hope it will be a good time.’ “He dismissed this.
However, the President’s Office previously explained this event as “meeting for encouragement ahead of the National Assembly inspection” and “something we have done every year.” At a public meeting between the President and party leaders held around the time of the National Assembly inspection under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, the party representative This is the first time I’ve missed it.
At the luncheon invited by the chairman of the Foreign Party Council on October 20, 2022, and the banquet invited by the party leadership held at the Yongsan residence on November 25 of the same year, both then-contingent committee chairman Jeong Jin-seok (currently Chief of Staff to the President) and floor leader Joo Ho-young attended. Party leader Kim Ki-hyun and floor leader Yoon Jae-ok both attended the National Integration Committee dinner on October 17, 2023, and the party leadership luncheon on the 18th the following day. Of course, Representatives Jeong Jin-seok and Kim Ki-hyun were active members of the National Assembly at the time.
When asked, “Didn’t everyone have an order of speech at the party leadership dinner on the 24th of last month?” Senior Vice President Shin responded, “Today is an opportunity to share what pending issues are in each standing committee, so naturally, (for example) the Strategy and Finance Committee discussed ‘Gold Investment Tax’. This is how we are preparing for tax issues, etc.’, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy explained things like the East Sea oil field and the Czech nuclear power plant (nuclear power plant) well, and the President said, ‘The Czech nuclear power plant costs 24 trillion won for the second phase, so it is too much to attack this as a dumping order. “This is unfair. I wish there was some explanation for this,” he said, adding, “It was not a place to inquire about current political issues with the president.”
When asked whether there was any mention of the re-voting of the Twin Special Prosecutions Act, senior vice-president Shin said, “There was no mention of that aspect at all.” When asked whether there had been any conversation about the acquittal of the luxury bag case that came out that day, he replied, “That was not something that should be discussed here.” He added, “Today is a time to talk about the National Assembly inspection, so it is not a place to talk about political issues in depth, but a place to comfortably exchange stories.”
The only mention of President Kim Kun-hee’s first lady was that a party attendee said, “I am concerned that the Democratic Party unilaterally processed the witness request,” and “I will not give in to that and approach the National Assembly audit with a responsible attitude as the ruling party.”
▲President Yoon Seok-yeol is applauding with attending lawmakers, including floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, at the People Power Party floor leadership invitation dinner held at Pine Grass in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul on the 2nd. ⓒYonhap News
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