Yoon Completes Diplomatic Debut, Faces Challenges Including Minister Appointments, Party Turmoil, and High Inflation

Approval Rating Drops Due to Personnel Issues... Need to Alleviate 'Triple Burden' Amid Economic Crisis

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Suk-yeol has completed a tight 3-night, 5-day schedule at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, but numerous pressing domestic issues lie ahead. These include the fate of Park Soon-ae, the Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education nominee, and Kim Seung-hee, the Minister of Health and Welfare nominee, as well as livelihood issues such as rising prices, and internal conflicts within the ruling party that cannot be ignored.

Evaluations of the government's performance immediately after President Yoon's return are also noteworthy. According to a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from the 28th to 30th of last month, among 1,000 people nationwide aged 18 and over, 43% responded that President Yoon is "doing well" in his duties, while 42% said he is "doing poorly." Positive evaluations of President Yoon's job performance, which were 53% three weeks ago, dropped by 4 percentage points to 49% two weeks ago.

The biggest reason for the negative evaluations of his job performance was personnel issues. Reasons cited for negative evaluations included "personnel" (18%), "not paying attention to the economy and livelihood" (10%), "arbitrary and unilateral" (7%), and "lack of experience and qualifications/incompetence" (6%).

The decision on whether to appoint the two nominees must be made immediately. Initially, political circles expected President Yoon to appoint them right after his trip, considering that the deadline for resubmitting the personnel hearing report was on the 29th, but he has not rushed yet. However, given the ongoing difficulties in organizing the National Assembly, the ministerial positions cannot remain vacant indefinitely, so there is a possibility of appointments soon for smooth government operation.

Of course, the ethical issues surrounding the two nominees remain a burden for President Yoon. Nominee Park faces allegations of power abuse, past drunk driving, and controversies over duplicate publication of papers, while nominee Kim's situation has worsened as the National Election Commission referred her to prosecution for violating the Political Funds Act.

The fate of Police Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong, who tendered his resignation on the 27th of last month, is also drawing attention. Commissioner Kim expressed responsibility and resigned on the same day following the announcement of plans to establish a police affairs organization within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. His original term was until the 23rd of this year.

Besides the political controversy surrounding the killing of a public official in the West Sea, internal conflicts within the ruling party cannot be overlooked. President Yoon has repeatedly stated that "the president should not comment on party affairs," but he may make remarks regarding internal party situations such as the conflict related to Lee Jun-seok's alleged evidence destruction in a sexual bribery case. Currently, the People Power Party is focused on internal disputes rather than livelihood issues. However, Lee Jun-seok greeted President Yoon at Seoul Airport on the day of his return.

Responding to flood damage caused by last week's heavy rains and the impact of rising prices are also pressing tasks. Facing a "triple burden" of high inflation, high interest rates, and high exchange rates, the additional burden of public utility fee increases is expected to significantly impact the price burden on ordinary citizens. While President Yoon was abroad, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo managed domestic affairs, issuing emergency directives related to the heavy rains. Before departure, President Yoon asked Prime Minister Han to "take good care of domestic matters."

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