Yoon says will discuss people's livelihood issues with opposition leader
President Yoon Suk Yeol announces his nomination of Rep. Chung Jin-suk, right, of the People Power Party as his new chief of staff, at the presidential office in Seoul, April 22. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol said Monday he will discuss ways to stabilize people's livelihoods when he holds his first-ever meeting with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung in the coming days.
Yoon made the remark to reporters at the presidential office after announcing his nomination of Rep. Chung Jin-suk of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as his new chief of staff.
"The ruling and opposition parties have until now had clear differences in positions," he said when asked what he plans to discuss with Lee of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). "But I think we will first look for items related to people's livelihoods where we can narrow our differences and agree on, and talk about doing several things we can do to stabilize the people's livelihoods."
Yoon called Lee last Friday after the PPP was routed in the April 10 parliamentary elections and proposed they meet at the presidential office this week.
The two sides are coordinating the details of the meeting, including its date and agenda.
"I invited him not so much because I want to say what's on my mind but because I want to listen to what Chairman Lee Jae-myung has to say," Yoon said. "We won't put restrictions on the agenda but talk about various matters."
Cooperating with the opposition bloc will become increasingly important as Yoon will have to work with an opposition-controlled National Assembly for the remaining three years of his single, five-year term. The DPK has held a majority in parliament during his first two years in office as well.
The Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported Monday that Yoon recently told his aides he will "become a president who does politics" from now on.
When asked about the remark and how he plans to change his running of state affairs, Yoon acknowledged he read the article but clarified he was trying to tell his aides to make the presidential office's messaging clearer for the public.
"For the past two years, the focus of my work was on designing important state tasks as policy and executing them," he said. "From now on, I will step closer to the people and persuade and communicate regarding the direction we are going in, and in order to pursue such policies, focus on persuading and communicating not only with the ruling party but also with the opposition party." (Yonhap)