Rep. Park Chan-dae, the floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a briefing in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Ruling and opposition parties showed mixed responses, Thursday, to President Yoon Suk Yeol's press conference marking his second year in office. This was Yoon's first press conference since August 2022, when he marked his first 100 days in office.

During a 70-minute press conference, the president set out a new course for his government and presented his stance on politically contentious issues, including allegations that first lady Kim Keon Hee illegally accepted a luxury handbag in September 2022 and the opposition's push for a special counsel investigation into the government's suspected inteference in the military's investigation into a Marine's death during a search-and-rescue operation in a flooded area in July 2023.

Yoon also vowed to increase communication channels with political parties following the ruling party's crushing defeat in the general elections last month.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) defended Yoon's remarks, saying it will work closely with the government to better heed public concerns and focus on improving people's livelihoods.

"President Yoon expressed regret over limited progress in resolving urgent matters related to people's livelihoods. He honestly acknowledged that there had been shortcomings in efforts to enhance the people's livelihoods and pledged to humbly accept public sentiment and strive to reform his administration," PPP spokesperson Rep. Jung Hee-yong said in a statement.

"The president, the government and the ruling party will communicate and cooperate by prioritizing the issue of enhancing people's livelihoods."

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press conference marking the second anniversary of his presidency at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

However, the main opposition Democratic People of Korea (DPK) criticized Yoon for using the press conference to praise himself and his government's response to controversial issues.

"Yoon has fallen short of our expectations for government reform. At today's press conference, we saw a president who remained stubborn despite hitting a new low in public opinion," said Rep. Park Chan-dae, the DPK's floor leader.

He pointed out that Yoon's rejection of a special counsel probe into the government's alleged interference in the military's investigation into the Marine's death suggests that the president has no will to care for or protect the lives of the people.

Last week, the DPK railroaded a contentious bill, calling for a special counsel probe into allegations surrounding the Marine's case despite fierce protests from the ruling party.

According to recent public surveys, nearly 70 percent of the public support the special counsel probe.

"We urge Yoon to accept the bill on a special counsel to investigate the Marine's death. If the president vetoes the bill now, he will be solely responsible for everything that happens once the bill is passed in the Assembly. We also ask PPP lawmakers to stand on the side of the people, not on the side of power," Park said.

Other opposition parties also said that the president's speech and Q&A fell short of showing his commitment to taking a flexible approach toward state affairs.

The New Reform Party slammed Yoon, saying that he still lacks self-awareness given that there was no change in the president's stance on issues like the medical school quota expansion and the special counsel probe into the case of the Marine's death in 2023.