Yoon apologizes for failing to uphold people’s will following election defeat

Apr 17, 2024, 12:23 pm

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A visitor to a university hospital in Seoul watches TV news on President Yoon Suk-yeol’s remarks at a Cabinet meeting on April 16, 2024./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized Tuesday after his ruling People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing defeat in last week’s parliamentary elections.

Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul. Interpreting the election defeat as a public evaluation of the way he runs the government, Yoon said the importance of communication with the people. “I, as the president, am at fault first and will communicate more,” Yoon said according to a senior presidential official. On the possibility of a meeting with main opposition Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung, a top office said it will leave all doors open.

Vowing to do whatever it takes for the people, Yoon said, “I have nothing I can’t do for the sake of the people.”

The remarks came six days after the 22nd general election held last week.

“We must all humbly accept the public sentiment revealed in the general elections,” Yoon said. “I will communicate more with a humbler and more flexible attitude, and be the first to listen carefully to the public sentiment.”

In particular, Yoon reflected on his government’s real estate and stock market policies, saying, “We should have taken much more care of the lives of ordinary people in need above all.”

“Although in the past two years since taking office, I have looked only to the people and taken the path for our national interest, I fell short of the people’s expectations,” Yoon said. “Even though I set the right direction for state affairs and I believe I was lacking in creating chance to the extent it could be felt by the people.”

In the meantime, Yoon’s office said that the president was “open to meeting” leaders of opposition parties. But the source added a “minimal amount of time is needed” to form the new Assembly and have the ruling party complete the leadership shakeup.

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