A day before President Yoon Suk-yeol and the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon are scheduled to meet, the divided ruling party was plagued by last-minute tensions. The pro-Han faction criticized the format of a three-party meeting, not a one-on-one meeting, while the pro-Yoon faction showed signs of discomfort over Han's mention of First Lady Kim Keon-hee issue.

Yoon and Han will hold a “two-on-one” meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan on the afternoon of October 21, with presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk in attendance. Han initially requested a one-on-one meeting. Later, when the presidential office proposed a three-party meeting, Han proposed a “two-on-two” meeting with his chief secretary, but the presidential office reportedly rejected the proposal. A figure from the pro-Han faction said in a phone interview, “It (the three-party meeting) doesn't make sense formally. It could give the impression that the president is saying, 'How dare you have a private meeting with me? The purpose of a meeting is to give you some advice.’ I think it doesn't look so good, and I wonder why they would do such a thing.”

Opinions were also divided over the agenda of the meeting. Han will reportedly propose a solution to the issues of the first lady as a key agenda item. “We need to resolve the issue of Kim and the medical-political conflict. This (the October 16 by-election) was our last chance. The people supported us, so we have to resolve the issues, the figure said. “If the presidential office has really changed, I think they should show the change in personnel.”

A pro-Yoon lawmaker, on the other hand, drew a line, saying, "Such a story (such as Kim's issue) is not a problem that Han can talk about. Even if Han doesn't talk about Kim, the presidential office is probably fully aware of such stories through the trend of public opinion.

PPP lawmaker Na Kyung-won said on her social media account, “It's not a matter of winning or losing. If you try to win, you will lose,” adding, ”I hope this will be an opportunity for trust to be restored at the time when the breakdown of trust between the president and the ruling party leader is leading to a crisis in the right-wing camp.”

Some have called for Han to resign. Lee Sang-kyu, a former member of the general election white paper task force, wrote on his social media account, “(Han) again blamed the first lady for the ruling party’s huge defeat in the by-election for the superintendent of Seoul’s education office. He should take responsibility for abandoning the Seoul metropolitan area and resign from the party leader.”

Others criticized both Yoon and Han, calling for a comprehensive discussion on the direction of state affairs. Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min wrote on his social media account, “What should be done if the two people responsible for the downfall of the conservative party meet tomorrow?” and demanded that they should diagnose the causes of the failure of state affairs, resolve the medical crisis, revitalize the economy, reform the pension system, and eliminate the 'Kim Keon-hee risk.' In particular, he called for a strong response to Myung Tae-kyun, a key figure in the various allegations, saying, “Deal with him according to the law.”