Defiant Yoon hints that he will not change policies despite loss in parliamentary polls
Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korea’s embattled conservative president, said he would “humbly” listen to the voice of the people – but hinted that he would not change his policies – following a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections.
Critics remain sceptical of significant changes to Yoon’s governance style, citing his perceived obstinacy and binary “friend or foe” world view as making any compromise with opposition parties unlikely.
“We should all humbly accept the people’s will expressed through the elections,” Yoon said in a televised statement yesterday, his first public remarks on the polls held last week.
He insisted his administration had done its best to “set the right direction” and implement “many good policies”, but said it had fallen short of making enough changes to satisfy expectations for better living standards.
Off camera, Yoon then used a cabinet meeting to apologise for this failure and called for better government communication, a senior official at the presidential office later told journalists.
“Through the remarks, he made it clear that he won’t budge an inch from his stubborn leadership style and policies,” said Jung Suk-koo, a former executive editor at the Hankyoreh daily.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party won 108 of the National Assembly’s 300 seats in the election last Wednesday, narrowly preventing opposition parties from obtaining the two-thirds majority required to seek his impeachment.
In an interview with the Chosun newspaper last year, Yoon warned that his ruling party failing to win a parliamentary majority would turn him into a so-called lame-duck president.
Yoon will be the first South Korean president to face a hostile parliament throughout his entire five-year term, which is set to end in May 2027.
His past two years at the helm have been marked by gridlock in the opposition-controlled parliament, with critics noting that Yoon – a political novice who spent decades as a prosecutor before winning the presidency – had made little effort to compromise with opponents so he could push through what he characterises as pro-market labour, pension and education reforms.
Instead, the 63-year-old has largely ruled by decree, issuing executive orders and vetoing bills passed by the opposition-led National Assembly, including one calling for a special investigation into corruption allegations against his wife Kim Keon-hee, 51.
His executive orders have included ones cutting real estate and corporate taxes, granting the justice ministry authority to screen candidates for personnel appointments, and allowing the home ministry to tighten control over police.
Yoon’s detractors say his aim is to create a “country of prosecutors”, as he fills key government posts with those who share his professional background.
Lee Jun-han, a political science professor at Incheon National University, said Yoon had refused to hold himself responsible for the election loss – even though parliamentary polls are widely seen in South Korea as a midterm referendum on the president’s job performance.
Lee said the country faced risks from rising government and corporate debt amid low growth and high interest rates and inflation.
He warned of “extreme confrontations between the ruling and opposition parties” that were likely to drown out any policy discussions.