Ahead of the General Election, 'Seol Sarangbang', President Moon Faces 'Test of Public Sentiment' Again

Impact on First Half Government Momentum Following Lunar New Year Public Sentiment Results... Focus on Prosecution Personnel, Economic Recovery, and Inter-Korean Relations

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] For President Moon Jae-in, this Lunar New Year holiday is a turning point that will determine the momentum of state affairs management in the first half of this year. It is a time to check the current status of the 'Sarangbang public sentiment' less than three months before the general election. Generally, holidays are associated with keywords such as harmony, sharing, and consideration, but this year's Lunar New Year is different.

The Blue House and the Democratic Party of Korea must secure momentum in state affairs to achieve results on the numerous pending national tasks. For this, it is important to unite the will of the people. President Moon’s New Year's address, in which he pledged to "make mutual growth through definite change the top priority and communicate with the people more frequently," is in the same context.

The problem is that the opposition parties are in a completely different situation. In particular, the Liberty Korea Party is seeking a turnaround after consecutive defeats in recent nationwide elections. They plan to embark on a long march to regain power based on a victory in the general election.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The opposition parties have no choice but to confront the Moon Jae-in administration to steer public opinion in a favorable direction. A fierce confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over the Sarangbang public sentiment is inevitable. President Moon faced difficulties during last Chuseok holiday due to the 'Cho Kuk risk.' At that time, the main topic in the Sarangbang was the so-called 'Cho Kuk War.'

Questions surrounding the value of fairness aimed at the Moon Jae-in administration led to a deterioration of public sentiment. The aftershocks of the Cho Kuk risk remain during this Lunar New Year holiday as well. If the mid-level prosecutor personnel reshuffle on the 23rd sparks a 'prosecutorial turmoil,' it could be a negative factor in gaining Sarangbang public sentiment during the holiday. The ongoing conflict between the Blue House and the prosecution is certainly a burden. There remains the task of suppressing prosecutorial issues even after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Recent public opinion polls on President Moon’s state affairs management show a dead cross situation where negative evaluations surpass positive ones. This means the erosion of public sentiment is not insignificant. It is a time when a driving force is needed to change the flow of public opinion after the holiday.

During the Lunar New Year holiday, President Moon must seek solutions to resolve the numerous pending issues through political planning. After the holiday, schedules such as Blue House personnel appointments and government ministry work reports await. Economic recovery and responses to diplomatic and security issues are also matters that President Moon must pay attention to. Another concern is the need to revive the 'spark of cooperation' amid the steep confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties.

Park Sang-byeong, a visiting professor at Inha University Graduate School of Policy, said, "The biggest topic in the Sarangbang during the holiday is undoubtedly the economy, and the general election is also a subject of interest," adding, "For President Moon, managing the economy stably and seeking solutions to improve inter-Korean relations will be the core of political planning."

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