The president must talk with people often

The president also must talk with the opposition actively. If such changes build up, citizens will pay for that.

On Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol had an emergency economy and livelihood meeting with ordinary citizens at a cafe in Seoul. In the rare meeting with the public, the president reminded himself of his first statement as a politician in June 2021 about the hardship of a small restaurant in Seoul and of the tough livelihood of the owner of a small pub who had to close shop during the pandemic. The president said the owner of the pub had to sell his house to pay the severance pay to his employees. “I still have vivid memories of them,” Yoon said. “I will take care of their difficulties from now on.”

President Yoon did order his aides and government ministers to directly listen to such outcries from the people in distress before embarking on his state visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar last week. In a Cabinet meeting held shortly after the overseas trip, Yoon went so far as to elaborate on their uphill battles to survive. “Some of them sighed over their fate forcing them to spend their entire earnings paying back the money they borrowed from banks,” he said.

On Tuesday, the president lowered himself during his speech to the National Assembly on next year’s budget, as manifested by his expression of respect for opposition parties. The president even ordered his speech writer to delete any wording putting the blame on the opposition. Such a drastic change — probably after his People Power Party (PPP)’s landslide defeat in the recent by-election in Seoul — must not be interrupted. Otherwise, it will backfire.

If the president really wants to embody his determination to change, he must communicate with the public more often than he did in the past. Whether it be a conversation with the people or an issue briefing, the president must explain the direction of his administration and its policy in an appropriate context. On hotly contested issues, the president must persuade the people sincerely and sufficiently. If not, his policy cannot get the traction his administration needs desperately.

Shortly after being elected president, Yoon vowed to communicate with people more often. He started the first-ever doorstep interviews with the press to keep his promise. Unfortunately, the unprecedented interviews stopped over a reporter’s malicious attack on the president. Nevertheless, the presidential interviews were much appreciated by many.

The president must resume the press conference he stopped for over a year. He must not shun uncomfortable questions, as they can offer him a chance to correct wrong criticisms directed toward him. The president also must talk with the opposition actively. If such changes build up, citizens will pay for that.