Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon vows to heed people's voices after election loss
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
President 'apologized' for failing to reflect public sentiment: presidential office
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he humbly accepts the sentiment of voters shown in last week's general elections, where the ruling party suffered a crushing defeat, and pledged to make earnest efforts to heed the voices of the people with a flexible attitude.
He also expressed regret, stating he was "sorry" for failing to fully reflect the public's sentiment, according to a senior presidential secretary. That term was not initially used at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting, which was televised.
“We all have to humbly accept the public sentiment shown in the general elections,” Yoon said at the beginning of the Cabinet meeting. “Starting with myself, we will listen to the public's opinions more carefully and engage in candid communication with a humble and flexible attitude.”
Yoon made those remarks six days after the ruling People Power Party (PPP) secured only 108 out of 300 seats in the National Assembly in the general elections. It was his first public remark since the crushing defeat.
The president acknowledged that throughout the last two years of his term, his primary focus has been on advancing the interests of the people. However, he conceded that despite his efforts, they fell short of public expectations, and his policies lacked the effectiveness needed to translate into tangible changes for the public.
"I'll pay more attention to people's voices and make much more efforts to improve people's livelihoods," he said.
Regarding bipartisan cooperation, Yoon said, “The government will cooperate with the National Assembly more closely. A more comprehensive explanation about bills and budgets will be made to stabilize the public's livelihood and improve communication with the people."
But the president did not specify how he will engage with the opposition. The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party have each requested a meeting between their leaders and Yoon.
The senior presidential secretary said that Yoon’s comments imply the president is open to a potential meeting with opposition leaders. But he said the office has to consider that the 22nd National Assembly will begin in late May, and the ruling party, which is now suffering a leadership vacuum, has to join any meeting with opposition leaders.
According to the secretary, Yoon conveyed to Cabinet members his apologies to the public for not adequately reflecting their sentiment, and expressed his commitment to doing whatever is necessary for their well-being. These remarks, however, were not televised.
A TV screen at Incheon International Airport shows President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised Cabinet meeting remarks, Tuesday. Yonhap
Yoon was initially anticipated to outline envisioned changes to his direction of governing as he said, through Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Kwan-sup a day after the elections, that he would do his best to reform his governing style and stabilize the economy.
However, during the speech at the Cabinet meeting, Yoon stated that he has been leading the country in the right direction, but there have been shortcomings in the government's moves to make the public feel concrete changes.
“While we have set the right direction for state affairs and exerted our utmost efforts to achieve that, we acknowledge that we have fallen short in bringing about changes that the people can truly feel,” Yoon said, listing several policies that his administration has been pursuing over the past two years.
“Despite the policies being aimed at benefiting the people from a broad perspective, they have lacked the necessary details. Regardless of the correctness of the direction in governing state affairs and the pursuit of numerous positive policies, the government has failed to fulfill its role if the people do not perceive actual change,” Yoon said.
Yoon added that his reform initiatives in labor, education, pension and medical sectors “should not be halted for the sake of the country’s future.”
The senior presidential secretary said, “The majority of the public's sentiment is that Yoon’s polices are heading toward the right direction, but there are problems in his way of realizing them.”
The official added, “The Yoon government entered office with the mandate to uphold such public sentiment, and fundamentally altering the approach to handling state affairs constitutes a neglect of the president's promise to the public."
Regarding Yoon’s speech, the DPK said he “disregarded the public's hope for change in his governing style.”
“Yoon defended himself by saying that the direction was right but the outcome was not satisfactory, instead of repenting for his stubborn governing stance,” DPK spokesperson Han Min-soo said.
“Despite expressing a willingness to cooperate with the National Assembly, he remained silent on the public's wish for him to recognition the opposition as a partner in governing … We cannot expect the president to reform his governing style when he says the direction was right and the government did its best.”
The Rebuilding Korea Party also said in a statement that “the content of Yoon’s speech was shocking” and the elections were a reflection of “the people’s stance that Yoon should acknowledge the opposition as a partner in running state affairs.”