Following the ruling party's crushing defeat in the South Korean general election, will President Yoon agree to his first meeting with the leader of the largest opposition party?

Following the landslide defeat of the ruling party in the general election held on the 10th of this month, President Yoon Seok-yeol held a top-level meeting with Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea.
On the same day, Chairman Lee told reporters, "Of course I will meet and talk. President Yoon will also need cooperation and collaboration from the opposition parties." Chairman Lee is scheduled to take office in August 2022.
Since taking office, he has repeatedly proposed a meeting with President Yoon, but President Yoon has not responded and the meeting has not been realized.
As close cooperation with the opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, is more important than ever, attention is focused on how President Yoon will respond.
This general election was contested through single-seat constituencies (254 seats) and proportional representation (46 seats).
Before the election, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea had 156 seats (including affiliated parties), while the ruling People Power Party had 114 seats (including affiliated parties), resulting in a "twist" in which the opposition parties held a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
The focus of this general election was whether this situation could be resolved. On the 10th, the votes were counted, with the People Power Party winning 108 seats and the Democratic Party of Korea winning 175 seats, and the Democratic Party of Korea supporting President Yoon.
The People's Power Party, which is expected to win the election, suffered a major defeat. The opposition parties did not reach the 200 seats required to pass a bill to amend the constitution or impeach the president, but they continue to hold the reins of power in the political arena.
The People Power Party took responsibility for the crushing defeat and appointed the head of the party, emergency response committee chairman Han Dong-hoon, as well as Prime Minister Han Deok-soo and all senior officials at the chief secretary level or above, excluding the National Security Council.
All senior officials in the Office of the President announced their intention to resign. President Yoon released a statement saying, "I will humbly accept the will of the people in the general election, revamp national politics, and do my best to stabilize the economy and the lives of the people."
Meanwhile, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung said of the landslide victory, "I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the support and encouragement for the party," adding, "This is not a victory for the party, but a victory for the great people of our people."
Regarding this general election, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said, "The ruling party won a landslide victory in the unified local elections in June 2022, but the results of this election, which is considered a mid-term evaluation of the Yoon administration, are expected to be a success."
"The response from the public was lukewarm," the newspaper said, adding, "With three years left in his term, President Yoon is likely to have no choice but to re-establish the way he will run the country."
Education reform, pension reform, and medical reform, such as increasing the number of doctors, are expected to become even more difficult in the future,” the JoongAng Ilbo reported.
Troy Stangaron, director of the Korea-US Economic Institute, said in an online seminar hosted by a think tank on the 11th that the parliamentary power structure is too large and too few in favor.
In this scenario, President Yoon's policies toward the United States, Japan, and China will face stronger criticism from the opposition party. "President Yoon and the Democratic Party of Korea should have deeper discussions about foreign policy and reach common ground," he said.
"It is important to find the mother," he said. As overseas experts have pointed out the need for cooperation between President Yoon and the opposition parties, Democratic Party leader Lee said on the 12th, "Politics is something that requires fundamental dialogue and compromise.
President Yoon and Representative Lee have never met before, and the Dong-A Ilbo reported on the 13th that
An official from the President's Office was quoted as saying, "There are no plans yet for a summit." Meanwhile, President Yoon has indicated his intention to work toward "renewing national politics," and both the ruling and opposition parties have expressed their support for this.
Some have said, "First of all, the president himself must change." In order to break through this difficult situation, "cooperation" with the opposition is essential, and the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper has warned that "if the meeting with Lee is successful,
"Whether or not he will be able to do this is seen as a litmus test for a change in the tone of national politics," the Yonhap News Agency said.
Attention will be focused on whether there will be a change in her style."