Long road to unity: Yoon faces tough challenges in parliament

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Joint Press Corps

By Nam Hyun-woo

• Published Mar 11, 2022 4:35 PM KST
• Updated Mar 13, 2022 10:37 AM KST

By Nam Hyun-woo

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party (PPP) has been stressing bipartisan efforts to achieve national unity after winning Wednesday's election as the results of voting underscored a deep national divide.

Despite his efforts, it will be an uphill battle for Yoon to receive parliamentary support as the National Assembly is still dominated by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) which holds a majority of the seats in parliament.

During a press conference on Thursday, Yoon said the opposition party's majority at the Assembly is “a very natural situation in a democratic country.” He added that the situation is not an obstacle, but “an opportunity for Korea's democracy to make a leap forward.”

He also said during a ceremony marking the end of his campaign that he will “closely cooperate with the DPK” because both parties share a common goal of “serving the people.”

Yoon's comments came amid a tough road seen ahead of the president-elect in managing state affairs and implementing his election pledges.

Currently, the DPK dominates the Assembly with 172 out of 300 seats. That means the party alone can pass almost all bills, except a few, such as a revision of the Constitution which requires the approval of two thirds of all lawmakers. The PPP clinched four more seats during by-elections which took place on the sideline of Wednesday's election and decided to merge with the center-right People's Party to win three more seats. But the main conservative party's total seats will remain only at 113 seats.

This will seriously limit President-elect Yoon in pursuing innovative measures that require Assembly approval, such as making and revising bills, organizing the Cabinet and setting the country's budget. This situation could continue for at least two more years, because the next general election is scheduled to take place in April 2024.

The most imminent challenge is appointing a prime minister. The President needs the Assembly's approval to appoint a prime minister.

Yoon asked for cooperation between parties in running state affairs and DPK candidate Lee Jae-myung also wished Yoon's success as the President. But the DPK is anticipated to give Yoon a hard time in appointing a prime minister as the largest party will not want to lose control.

Chances are also high for Yoon to face difficulties in appointing ministers.

Unlike the prime minister, appointing a minister does not require the Assembly's approval. However, it will be a tough choice for Yoon to ignore the DPK's position on nominees at confirmation hearings, given the possible influence of the decisions on other bills he endorses.

In 1998, then-President Kim Dae-jung named his coalition partner Kim Jong-pil as the prime minister, but his appointment came 175 days after the nomination due to strong oppositions from the Hannara Party, which was the main opposition party holding a majority in the Assembly.

Against this backdrop, Yoon, who started his political career by joining the PPP only eight months ago, is feared to face more difficulties in organizing the Cabinet, because his political footing is relatively weaker than his predecessors who have experiences as lawmakers.

Carrying out his major election pledges could also face obstacles.

During his campaign, the President-elect promised to establish a special team for COVID-19 disaster relief and spend nearly 50 trillion won ($40.5 billion) to assist small business owners and the self-employed as soon as he takes office.

However, such promises require the Assembly's approval on additional budgets.

Yoon's other pledges, such as abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, enhancing the prosecution's discretion and renovating the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), could also prove to be uphill battles.

Abolishing the gender equality ministry requires an amendment in the Government Organization Act, but the DPK has long been opposed to Yoon's idea. Prohibiting the justice minister from giving investigation guidelines to the prosecutor general also requires a revision of the Prosecutors' Office Act, and renovating the CIO also requires changes in relevant laws.

Due to this, former DPK Chairman Song Young-gil said during the campaigning period that “No matter how good Yoon's pledges are, they are unrealistic, because he cannot execute those pledges with the PPP's seats in the National Assembly.”

However, the DPK's opposition for the sake of opposition may face a backlash due to the June 1 local election.

If the DPK opposes every proposal that Yoon floats, it will give the party an impression that the opposition side is deteriorating the President's efforts to pursue national unity, which will do a disservice to DPK candidates running for mayor or governor posts.

The so-called “honeymoon period,” which refers to months of popularity enjoyed by an incoming President, also offers a window of opportunity for the President-elect. During that period, the opposition party tends to be soft on the president because the public has high hopes for the new leader to make desirable changes.

“During the honeymoon period, the public leans toward the new President to make the country better,” said Shin Yul, a professor of political science at Myongji University.

“If the President seems his hands are tied because of the opposition party during this period, people will see the President as a victim, and the public's sentiment will become negative toward the opposition party. With the local elections taking place in just two months, this may discourage the DPK from stymieing all of Yoon's pledges.”