Yoon, Will He Restructure the Presidential Office... First Vacation, A Task Given to President Yoon

Approval Rating Falls Below 30% Again... Calls for Presidential Office Restructuring Grow
High Inflation and Quarantine Measures, Gwangbokjeol Special Pardon Expected to Be Discussed
Ruling Party's Approval Ratings Drop Together, Internal Conflict Remains an Uncertain Factor

President Yoon Suk-yeol is drinking water during his speech at the launch ceremony of the National Unity Committee held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 27th of last month.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yoon Yoon-jin] President Yoon Seok-yeol will take his first summer vacation since his inauguration from the 1st to the 5th. However, with pressing issues both inside and outside, ranging from the economic crisis to internal strife within the ruling party, President Yoon is expected to continue grappling with concerns even during his vacation.

Above all, the urgent task is to find a solution to the plummeting approval rating of his administration, which has fallen to the 20% range just over 80 days after his inauguration. According to a survey conducted by the Korea Society Opinion Institute commissioned by TBS from the 29th to 30th of last month targeting voters nationwide aged 18 and over, President Yoon's positive evaluation of his administration was recorded at 28.9%. Previously, in a self-conducted survey by Gallup Korea from the 26th to 28th, President Yoon's approval rating dropped below 30% for the first time, recording 28%, and now again the approval rating is below 30%. (For detailed information on the polls, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.)

As a result, voices from both ruling and opposition parties are calling for some presidential office aides to take responsibility for the drop in approval ratings and step down. The argument is that a comprehensive personnel reshuffle in the presidential office is necessary to revitalize government operations.

Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, urged at the National Assembly Emergency Committee meeting on the 1st, "Immediately hold accountable those responsible for the personnel disaster in the cabinet and presidential office and consider a full personnel reshuffle." Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, also appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the same day, saying, "In a crisis situation, emergency response is necessary and consistent message management is important, but doorstepping was not prevented," and pressured, "The acting party leader of the ruling party resigned, so someone at the level of the chief of staff should take responsibility."

Discussion is also needed on measures to address the pressing livelihood issues. According to the earlier Gallup Korea survey, the second most common reason for negative evaluations of President Yoon's administration was "not caring about the economy and people's livelihood (8%)." Therefore, during President Yoon's vacation, economic policies addressing the 'three highs (高)' crisis of high inflation, high interest rates, and high exchange rates are expected to be a focus. Additionally, with the rapid resurgence of COVID-19, the current government's 'autonomous quarantine' policy has come under scrutiny, highlighting the need for review.

On the 1st, a presidential office official stated, "President Yoon instructed to analyze factors to ensure that prices do not become unstable during the upcoming Chuseok holiday and to prepare in advance," adding, "Since this is a time when public concern about COVID-19 is increasing, he also requested the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters to establish a special COVID-19 response team to inform the public of the situation in detail daily and enable appropriate responses." Furthermore, with the special pardon for August 15 Liberation Day approaching, it is known that deliberations will continue regarding the status of controversial figures such as former President Lee Myung-bak and former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, whose cases have divided public opinion.

Meanwhile, resolving internal strife within the People Power Party, which has experienced a decline in approval ratings alongside the president, is also considered a crucial variable. This is because the ruling party must overcome internal turmoil to stably support the government's administration.

Since the 29th of last month, three supreme council members of the People Power Party have resigned consecutively, and floor leader Kwon Seong-dong stepped down from the acting party leader position, fueling discussions on transitioning to a provisional leadership system. Although the presidential office responded to reporters' questions about the ruling party's turmoil on the 31st of last month by saying, "We have nothing to say," distancing itself from the internal chaos, there is speculation that conflict mediation is inevitable to revitalize the stagnant atmosphere.

However, a presidential office official emphasized at a briefing at the Yongsan Government Complex in Seoul on the 1st, "There are many rumors about what will happen after the vacation and what kind of reform will be made, but most of them lack basis," adding, "The president is taking a long-awaited rest and recharging to prepare for the next tasks," drawing a line against analyses that President Yoon will focus on political planning during his vacation.

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