A Task Left Unfinished During the Participatory Government... President Moon Restarts Reform Completion

Election System → Corruption Investigation Office → Real Estate? Ruling Party's 'Shift in Focus'... Blue House Calms Controversy Over Housing Sales Permit System Amid Stirring Public Opinion

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] President Moon Jae-in is continuing a strong push on reform tasks that were stalled during the Participatory Government era. However, public backlash against these efforts is considerable, drawing attention to how this will influence the political landscape going forward.

The key point to watch in President Moon’s governance this year is his re-challenge of the national tasks that led former President Roh Moo-hyun to frustration. President Moon has already achieved results in prosecutorial reform and electoral reform. The Public Officials Crime Investigation Agency (PCA) establishment, adjustment of investigative authority between prosecutors and police, and amendments to the Public Official Election Act centered on strengthening proportional representation have passed the National Assembly plenary session.

Although these issues have led to a whirlwind in the year-end and New Year political scene, it is noteworthy that reform tasks are being resolved one by one. Having served as Chief of Staff at the Blue House during the Participatory Government, President Moon knows better than anyone that the equation of 'entrenched interests’ backlash → reform stalling → disappointment among supporters' drove the failure to recreate the administration.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

It is important to pay attention to President Moon’s emphasis on real estate issues during the New Year press conference on the 14th. On that day, President Moon declared his determination to fight to the end, saying, "We will continuously introduce stronger measures."

Following President Moon’s real estate-related message, Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Kang Ki-jung provided supportive remarks. In particular, Senior Secretary Kang amplified controversy by introducing the keyword 'housing sales permit system.' If the housing sales permit system is actually implemented, it could lead to issues such as infringement on private property rights and constitutional controversies.

A Blue House official stated, "Senior Secretary Kang spoke on the premise of his personal opinion," and drew a line by saying, "There is no intention to push it forward." Inside and outside the Blue House, Kang’s remarks are seen more as political rhetoric to convey the government’s will, with low feasibility of actual implementation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this, Park Seon-ho, First Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, explained in an interview on the 16th with tbs radio’s 'Kim Eo-jun’s News Factory,' "(Senior Secretary Kang’s remarks) should be understood as emphasizing the need to pay attention to this serious situation, as some experts have even argued for introducing a permit system." Vice Minister Park stressed that there has never been any consideration of implementing a housing sales permit system.

A public opinion poll conducted by Realmeter on behalf of tbs from January 13 to 15 surveyed 1,506 people nationwide aged 19 and older. The positive evaluation of President Moon’s governance in the third week of January dropped 3.7 percentage points from the previous week to 45.1%. Negative evaluations rose 4.7 percentage points to 51.2%. This is the first time President Moon’s negative rating has exceeded 50% in eight weeks since the third week of November last year. His daily approval ratings also declined further after the New Year press conference.

The ruling party’s approval rating also showed a sharp decline. The Democratic Party of Korea fell 4.1 percentage points from the previous week to 37.0%, breaking below the 40% range. The Democratic Party’s ratings dropped across the board among centrists, conservatives, progressives, all age groups, and most regions including Gyeonggi, Incheon, TK, PK, and Seoul. Meanwhile, the Liberty Korea Party rose 1.1 percentage points to 32.4%. This narrowed the gap between the two parties to 4.6 percentage points, within the margin of error. Detailed poll results can be found on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

Depending on the speed and content of the reform tasks that President Moon is focusing on, there is a possibility that negative public opinion will grow. Regarding the Blue House’s response to real estate issues, controversy is intensifying as the debate is turning into an ideological dispute.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.