President Yoon Suk Yeol held a dinner meeting with members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday, including the newly elected chief, Han Dong-hoon, and other party leaders. The Yoon gathering was hosted with the intention of promoting reconciliation following the PPP's national convention, which was marked by contentious attacks among the leadership candidates.

Expectations were high for the meeting which aimed to facilitate communication between the party and the government under Han's nascent leadership. Yoon has been urged to move away from his unilateral and often incommunicative style of governance, which has characterized his administration over the past two years. If he continues in this manner, both his government and the ruling party will face grave challenges in winning the hearts and minds of the people.

The outcome of the convention underscored a mounting call from both the public and party members for Yoon to shift away from the current top-down relationship between the party and the government. Recognizing this shift, Han emphasized the importance of establishing respectful and constructive relations grounded in public sentiment and meeting the expectations of the people.

Han indirectly called for stricter investigations into a graft scandal involving first lady Kim Keon Hee, and said, "They should have met the people at eye level." Han was referring to the prosecution's clandestine investigation into the case, which may have irritated Yoon.

In contrast, Yoon emphasized the significance of unity between the government and the party. However, certain PPP Supreme Council members, who are seen as supportive of Yoon, countered Han's stance by stressing the importance of him aligning with the party's floor leader on critical issues, such as the special counsel bill for investigating the death of a Marine.

In addition to the special counsel issue, Han is anticipated to clash with Yoon over how to handle the matter concerning the first lady. Han has been striving to differentiate himself from Yoon by proposing the creation of an office within the presidential administration responsible for managing affairs related to the leader's family members. This initiative is crucial for Han as he seeks to maintain public trust and garner support.

Han and the pro-Yoon members are engaged in a fierce war of nerves in the leadership race, deepening their emotional antagonism. The PPP and the presidential office must work together to mend strained relations. Undoubtedly, the ruling party and the government share a common fate. If the president falters in governing, the ruling party will struggle to win elections.

This was evident in the cases of former President Roh Moo-hyun and the ruling Uri Party and former President Park Geun-hye and the leading Saenuri Party, both of which faced significant setbacks due to in-house conflicts. Furthermore, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea is leveraging its majority in the National Assembly to raise the specter of impeaching Yoon. The Yoon administration and the PPP, which currently hold only 108 seats in parliament, could face dire consequences if they clash on numerous controversial issues.

Yoon should respect Han as the PPP's leader and carefully listen to the voice of the party in governing the nation. The party chief is no longer subordinate to Yoon, as they were during their time as prosecutors. Adopting a forceful approach to state administration will not benefit either Yoon or Han. They must meet regularly to engage in candid communication about important national agendas.

Han should intensify efforts to accurately grasp the sentiments of the people and communicate them directly to Yoon, while also embracing all party members, regardless of factional differences. His political leadership is being scrutinized. Despite securing majority support at the national convention, his non-lawmaker status poses limitations. His immediate priority should be to shield the party from the fallout of a convention marred by mudslinging and offensive remarks.

Both Yoon and Han should collaborate to strengthen the conservative party's values, focusing on promoting fairness and justice based on firm stability.