Yoon's 3rd press conference turns out to '83-minute defense' in guise of communication

President Yoon Suk-yeol takes questions from reporters during a press conference held in the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on August 29. Reporter Kim Chang-gil

President Yoon Suk-yeol's press conference on August 29 was focused on strengthening communication in form and maintaining the current trend of state administration in content. Yoon held the longest press conference since taking office, demonstrating his willingness to strengthen communication, but he also made it clear that he has no intention of changing the existing trend of state administration despite criticism.

Yoon did not provide specific answers to sensitive issues, such as his meeting with Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), his alleged conflict with Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), and the First Lady Kim Keon-hee's luxury bag scandal. This is why the opposition criticized it as a “conference without communication.”

President Yoon held his third press conference since taking office in the briefing room of the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul. After 41 minutes of briefing on state affairs at 10 a.m. in the office, he moved to the press conference room and responded to questions from reporters for about 80 minutes. A total of 19 reporters asked questions.

The Q&A session was held for 83 minutes, which was longer than the previous two press conferences. The 100th day of his inauguration press conference in August 2022 lasted 34 minutes, and the second anniversary of his inauguration press conference in May lasted 72 minutes. Yoon reportedly plans to hold a press conference once every quarter. It is interpreted as an intention to continue his effort to increase direct communication with the media that he has made since the defeat in the general election in April, such as directly announcing various appointments and holding briefings on state affairs.

In terms of content, it only reaffirmed the existing position. There was no mention of a change in the government's stance on the state administration in the press conference. There was also no mention of reflecting the demands of the ruling party, let alone the opposition parties. In response to a question about how to deal with the medical crisis caused by the medical-political conflict, Yoon said, “I think it is possible to operate the emergency medical care system until doctors return to hospitals if the government makes efforts and the people give strong support.” Although the ruling party is also calling for a solution to the medical disruption, Yoon reiterated the presidential office's previous stance that the current situation is “manageable.”

Yoon gave vague or defensive answers to major issues, such as a bill mandating a special counsel investigation over the death of Marine Corps Corporal Chae Su-geun and the First Lady’s luxury bag scandal.

In response to a third-party recommendation for a special prosecutor team suggested by PPP leader Han, Yoon said, “The investigation is going well now. The parliamentary hearings revealed that there was no external pressure.” This is a response that weighs heavily in favor of not needing a special counsel investigation. Yoon did not respond to Han's suggestion. When asked about the prosecution's decision to drop the case against the first lady, Yoon said, “"It is right for me not to mention the disposition of the investigation. It is even more so if it is related to my family." Instead, he defended the controversy over Kim's preferential investigation, saying, "Since all investigations are random investigations in principle, the method and location of the investigation can be decided by considering various factors." In other words, he gave the same answer as at the press conference on May 9.

When asked about the appointment of “New Right” figures, such as Kim Hyung-seok, the head of the Independence Hall of Korea, Yoon avoided answering the question, saying, “I don't know what the New Right is.”

Shortly after the ruling party's crushing defeat in April's general election, Yoon said he would “communicate more with a lower and more flexible posture and listen to the people’s voices.” But in the more than four months since then, Yoon has not stepped back from the issues that have drawn public criticism even before the general election. “It's a one-way method,” Cho Seung-rae, a senior spokesman of the DPK, said at a briefing. "Only Yoon's failure and self-righteousness have been reaffirmed."

A PPP official said in a phone interview, “If you look at the positive side, the president explained the big picture of the remaining two years and six months of state administration to the people. He also actively took questions from reporters, which looks good.” The official added, “He told the people to go to hospitals to understand the current situation, but wouldn't the public ask back who should actually go there and see it? I think he is making light of things. I think it's better for him to be flexible on the issue of medical disruption.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.