▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) shakes hands with Han Dong-hoon (3rd from R), leader of the ruling People Power Party, during a ceremony commemorating the 76th Armed Forces Day at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Oct. 1, 2024. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (2nd from L), Han Dong-hoon (2nd from R), leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), and PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho (R) have a dinner meeting at a garden in front of the presidential office in Seoul on Sept. 24, 2024, in this file photo provided by Yoon's office. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Yoon-PPP leadership

Yoon to have dinner meeting with PPP floor leader amid tensions with Han

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to have a dinner meeting with the floor leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday as the party is struggling with an internal rift amid lingering tensions between Yoon and party leader Han Dong-hoon.

Yoon has invited Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader aligned with the pro-Yoon faction, and other senior party officials, to discuss the upcoming parliamentary audit session, according to Yoon's office. Han, who doesn't hold a parliamentary seat, was not included.

"The dinner meeting was arranged to encourage the floor leadership, chairs of parliamentary committees and party representatives at the parliamentary committees ahead of the annual parliamentary audit," a presidential official said.

The gathering comes at an awkward time as Yoon has stayed mum over Han's request to have a one-on-one meeting after a group dinner between Yoon and PPP leaders last week ended without meaningful discussions on pressing issues.

The exclusion of Han from Wednesday's meeting has led to speculation that tensions remain between Yoon and Han, once considered close allies, as the two have displayed wide differences over how to deal with sensitive topics, such as first lady Kim Keon Hee.

On Tuesday, Han claimed that a former presidential aide, who is now an auditor of the state-funded financial institution, allegedly incited a left-wing YouTuber to launch a negative campaign against him ahead of the party leadership election in July.

According to media reports, the auditor asked a reporter at Voice of Seoul to dig up dirt on Han before the party convention, suggesting the first lady would like it.

"I feel ashamed and disappointed about how the public and party members will view this," Han wrote on Facebook.

The meeting comes hours after Yoon vetoed three contentious bills, including one calling for a special probe into the first lady's stock manipulation and other allegations.

Yoon needs support from PPP lawmakers to secure enough votes to discard the bills in a revote, which requires a two-thirds majority to override the veto. The PPP holds 108 seats in the 300-member National Assembly.

The ruling party is expected to face an uphill battle to defend against the opposition's strong offensive on key issues, including the first lady, during the two-week parliamentary audit that begins Monday.

Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party, which holds 171 seats, are putting on a show of unity to support leader Lee Jae-myung as he faces legal proceedings on allegations including election law violations and perjury.

Yoon and the PPP are grappling with record-low approval ratings, falling below 30 percent in recent polls, attributable to the prolonged walkout by junior doctors, public discontent over the first lady and friction between Yoon and Han.

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