Yoon-Han conflict sets both up for a losing game

The gathering between President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling People Power Party leaders on Tuesday disappointingly ended up as a mere dinner meeting during which they had no mention of focal issues such as the conflict between the government and doctors and the scandal concerning First Lady Kim Keon Hee. It was reported that President Yoon was the sole speaker addressing the achievements of the nuclear deal with the Czech Republic while the rest of the room listened to his speech. People Power Party (PPP) Chairman Han Dong-hoon did not even have a chance to make a greeting speech or a toast. After it was reported earlier that Han had requested a one-on-one meeting with the president prior to the dinner party, he found himself in a war of nerves with the presidential office. When he made another meeting request after the event, the presidential office found it unpleasant, saying that Han only cares about making himself different.

The banquet in Yongsan, which had been said to aim at making amends, turned out to drive a wedge into their relationship. “They did not even say a word regarding the first lady, the issues with doctors and people’s livelihoods,” said a guest to the 90-minute dinner party that might have been set up unavoidably to show them gathering and spending time anyhow. It is such a shame that the president and the ruling party leader ended up making no difference in getting the failing governance back on track.

Their dinner party did not pan out eventually, adding fuel to the fire that had long been simmering deep down. While the presidential office criticized Han’s moves as a cunning gesture, pro-Yoon party members slammed the chairman for using the opposition’s political tactic to try to make the president a petty man. On the other hand, pro-Han lawmakers pointed the finger at the presidential office for being self-righteous, adding, “The Yongsan office keeps the rest at arm’s length, losing track of what is going on. After all, there is no sign of progress in addressing any problem and the issues regarding the first lady are still left unresolved.”

The administration and the ruling party alike will likely take the brunt of the ongoing confrontational match intense enough to remind us of a civil war even at a time when they both suffer public mistrust. President Yoon and the ruling party ended up with a record low of 20 percent and 28 percent each in their approval ratings since they took power, according to Gallup Korea’s poll results released before the Chuseok holidays. They cannot win back public trust, which seems to be shattered into pieces if the two key governance leaders keep fighting against each other without pouring their hearts out. They should be aware that the public is starting to run out of patience and will no longer tolerate their emotional conflict. “Literally, they could be beaten to death in the worst-case scenario,” said a ruling party figure who joined the banquet. Who will ever be sure that it will not become a reality?