Yoon's Five-Day Summer Vacation... Likely Seeking 'Turnaround Card' Amid Approval Rating Drop and Economic Recession

Presidential Office: "It Will Be an Important Time for Recharging"... Vacation Amid 20% Approval Rating and Text Message Controversy

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President Yoon Seok-yeol will take his summer vacation from August 1 to 5. Initially, there was a possibility that the vacation plan would be postponed for a long time due to the strike by the subcontractor union at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, but as the situation has been resolved, he decided to take the vacation as scheduled in early August. President Yoon previously conveyed a message urging, "Everyone should recharge their energy and take a vacation to stimulate the domestic economy."

According to the presidential office on the 30th, President Yoon will spend this vacation resting and planning future state affairs. A presidential office official stated, "He has been handling a tight schedule since his inauguration. This vacation is expected to be an important time for recharging."

The specific vacation location has not been finalized. However, it is reported that there is a possibility he will visit sites related to public livelihood during the vacation. It is also known that chiefs and senior aides are adjusting their schedules to align with President Yoon’s vacation, but Chief Secretary Kim Dae-gi is expected to come to work even during the vacation period.

This is the first vacation since the president’s inauguration about 80 days ago, but it carries considerable pressure for President Yoon. Above all, his approval rating for state affairs has dropped to the 20% range for the first time since his inauguration. The 30% mark, which was considered a defensive line, has collapsed. Although the decline stopped last week after six consecutive weeks of falling, it dropped again this week.

Regionally, negative evaluations were higher than positive ones in all areas nationwide. Even in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, which are considered the core support base of the current ruling party, 47% of the public think he is doing poorly, while 40% think he is doing well. By age group, all groups under 60 showed higher negative evaluations, while only those aged 70 and above had a higher positive evaluation at 48% compared to 34% negative.

The aftermath of the "text message controversy" with Kwon Seong-dong, the acting party leader and floor leader, is also ongoing. Including the weekend, there will be no opportunity to directly comment on the issue for ten days, but many believe President Yoon should personally resolve the matter. In fact, the daily Q&A sessions with the press, which President Yoon has used as a communication channel with the public, have not been held for three days since the text message controversy. Coincidentally, as external schedules continued, some interpret that President Yoon temporarily avoided Q&A sessions to evade the backlash from the ‘internal criticism’ message controversy, adjusting his schedule to take a detour instead of his usual direct approach. However, the presidential office denied any connection with on-site schedules.

Therefore, it is highly likely that President Yoon will focus on devising a 'turnaround card' to break the political deadlock during his vacation. Key issues include the livelihood crisis caused by high inflation, high interest rates, and high exchange rates, as well as the collective protest by the police following the establishment of the Police Bureau within the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Additionally, he is expected to plan a new direction for state affairs to be announced around the upcoming August 15 Liberation Day.

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