Yoon proposes a banquet with Han at PPP convention night

It was reportedly that President Yoon’s banquet with the People Power Party’s new leadership and defeated candidates on Wednesday at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, came after he called former interim party leader Han Dong-hoon, who returned as the new head in the national convention and made a proposal to his aides.

Dining with his aides on Tuesday, President Yoon willingly proposed to open a banquet with the PPP’s new leadership for grand unity between the administration and the ruling party, making the banquet happen just one day after the national convention. Last year, when the March 8 national convention was held, he had a banquet party with then-party leader Kim Gi-hyeon and other senior members five days after the election.

Arguably, the reason behind the swiftly-held banquet is that the administration may be concerned that it will have a weaker influence on the ruling party as Han seems to have it in his grip, as shown in the results that he earned 62.8 percent of the vote. Moreover, experts say that such a nimble invitation was made to ensure strategic co-existence as well. In fact, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea will push forward with a vote again on the controversial special probe bill on the death of Cpl. Chae at a plenary session on Thursday. If only eight votes of the ruling party unexpectedly support it, this will neutralize a presidential veto and let the bill pass.

At the same time, the presidential office may not want to make things hard not only on governance but also on the next presidential election if the relationship between the president and the ruling party’s leader ends up souring again. On Wednesday, an insider of the presidential office said, “The latest national convention was way fiercer than any other previously held. President Yoon said in a congratulatory speech that the administration and the ruling party should go hand in hand because the shared fate unites the two,” adding that the event aims to ensure grand unity. Asked if presidential meetings are arranged with the PPP leader, he expected the banquet to allow concrete plants to be set up.

It also remains to be seen how the two sides handle their relationship until the ruling party builds a body of party executives. To be specific, the ruling party members are paying heightened attention to whether lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sig, head of the party’s policy coordination committee who is known as a core pro-Yoon figure, remains in office and other pro-Yoon members will serve as unelected members of the supreme council, secretary general and other major positions. Before the national elections occurred, tensions were elevated when President Yoon appointed Joo Ki-hwan as his special adviser for people's livelihood issues the day after he was ranked too low on the list of proportional representation candidates.


Hyung-Jun Hwang constant25@donga.com