[Reporter’s Notebook] People Power Party’s Honeymoon Ends Too Soon

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 23rd and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The support rate for the People Power Party, which had soared after winning both the presidential election and the local elections, has been declining day by day. In the Gallup poll released on the 1st (conducted from the 28th to the 30th, targeting 1,000 adults nationwide aged 18 and over; detailed survey overview available on the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website), the People Power Party's support rate was 40%, showing a continuous decline throughout the month from 45% right after the local election victory. President Yoon's approval rating also dropped by 10 percentage points during the same period, standing at 43%.

In another poll released on the same day (conducted by Media Tomato from the 28th to the 29th, targeting 1,030 adults aged 18 and over), the People Power Party was found to have fallen behind the Democratic Party of Korea for the first time since the second week of April.

Presidential or party approval ratings can fluctuate depending on current political issues. However, considering the overwhelming victory in the local elections and the so-called "honeymoon" period of less than two months since the government took office, the situation is clearly concerning. It is even more painful that the public evaluated the government at a time when it was celebrating economic achievements at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit. This raises worries about weakening national momentum at a critical time when the administration should be driving reforms after taking office. Former People Power Party emergency committee chairman Kim Jong-in even pointed out, "It is usually serious when less than a month and 20 days have passed since the government took office."

The problem is that the ruling People Power Party is focusing solely on internal conflicts, ignoring concerns from the periphery. The conflict between Representative Lee Jun-seok and the so-called pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Seok-yeol faction) lawmakers shows no signs of abating. As the next general election approaches in two years, the public is giving a cold evaluation of the power struggle over the ruling party's hegemony.

The economic situation, including soaring prices, is worsening day by day. With the ruling party, already a minority, becoming mired in conflicts, securing national momentum is becoming even more difficult. Whether it is President Yoon, who says "it is difficult to come up with fundamental solutions," or the ruling party, which is preoccupied with a power struggle over the parliamentary organization with the opposition and failing to find a breakthrough, the public can only feel frustrated.

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