Foreign Media: "Yoon's Approval Rating Drops, Faces Test with 'Itaewon Disaster'"

Sewol Ferry Tragedy Precedent Could Be Repeated

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Since his inauguration in May, President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has experienced a decline in approval ratings, has once again faced a test of leadership due to the recent 'Itaewon tragedy,' Bloomberg News reported on the 30th (local time).

In a Seoul-based article on the same day, the news agency noted that the aftermath response to the Itaewon crush disaster, which resulted in over 300 casualties, will be an opportunity to demonstrate President Yoon's political leadership or could strengthen the opposition's framing of the Yoon administration's incompetence.

The agency referred to the current situation as a "tragedy of Seoul" and stated that the evaluation of the handling and response to the Itaewon disaster will have a significant impact on the future public opinion of the Yoon government.

On the 30th, President Yoon Seok-yeol is touring the Itaewon area where the disaster occurred. (Photo by The Washington Post)

President Yoon convened an emergency inspection meeting within hours of the accident and subsequently issued several public addresses. In his public statements, President Yoon promised to provide healing support funds to the bereaved families and the injured and pledged thorough investigations and safety measures to prevent recurrence.

Kim Soo, a policy analyst at Rand Corporation and former CIA officer, told Bloomberg, "Both the opposition and ruling parties are closely watching the government's handling and response to the incident," adding, "In situations like this, even minor mistakes or errors can represent the government's incompetence."

The agency reported that conservative prosecutor-turned-President Yoon recorded approval ratings in the 30% range in a weekly regular survey conducted by Gallup Korea, a significant drop from 51% at the time of his inauguration in May.

President Yoon's approval rating fell to the 20% range for five consecutive weeks starting from the fourth week of September (28%) after recording 33% in the third week of September, before barely recovering to the 30% range in the latest survey.

Respondents attributed this decline in approval ratings to perceived lack of experience and qualifications, particularly citing mishandling in frontline diplomatic affairs.

Bloomberg further mentioned that the Itaewon tragedy, which claimed 304 lives, was the worst accident in South Korea since the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster. It noted that after the Sewol tragedy, former President Park Geun-hye's approval ratings plummeted due to inadequate initial response, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Chung Hong-won, and suggested that a similar scenario could unfold in the current administration.

Kim Doo-yeon, senior researcher at the Shinmi Security Center, said, "As in the past, how this tragedy is handled will be a test of President Yoon's leadership and capabilities," adding, "If we look at the tragic history of Sewol as a guide, President Yoon could either become a hero or be ousted like former President Park."

(Photo by Reuters)

Meanwhile, major foreign media outlets have analyzed that the tragedy was a foreseeable man-made disaster due to insufficient preventive measures such as government control at the scene. Although a large crowd was expected at the first Halloween festival after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, related government agencies' preventive actions were deemed inadequate.

The New York Times (NYT) pointed out that the situation in Itaewon, South Korea?a country experienced in crowd control?contrasted with recent political protests where police outnumbered civilians.

Brian Higgins, a lecturer at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told the NYT that police and public safety officials appeared unprepared to handle the scale of the crowd, criticizing, "It seems quite clear that there was insufficient on-site personnel and planning."

British broadcaster BBC also highlighted the lack of participant limits at the event, questioning whether safety standards and crowd control measures were implemented. Meanwhile, France's AFP news agency referred to a police press release issued two days before the tragedy on the 27th, announcing the deployment of 200 police officers in Itaewon, and reported that the disaster is being criticized as a "man-made" incident triggered by inadequate preparation.

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