One Day Before the Minnochoong General Strike... Yoon: "A Country Where Law and Principles Stand Firm"

President Yoon and First Lady Attend National Breakfast Prayer Meeting
Yoon: "Domestic and International Environment Not Easy... Will Not Shy Away from Difficult Path"
Realmeter Poll Shows Nearly 40% Recovery... Confidence in State Governance

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol has been repeatedly emphasizing the need to uphold the "law and principles" against illegal activities ahead of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)'s general strike scheduled for the 6th. Following the previous day's collective transport refusal by the KCTU Public Transport Workers' Union Cargo Solidarity Headquarters (Cargo Solidarity), he has been in a strong stance, instructing preparations to issue work commencement orders for the oil refining and steel sectors as well.

On the morning of the 5th, President Yoon attended the "54th National Breakfast Prayer Meeting" held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam, Seoul, with his wife Kim Keon-hee. He stated, "We will do our best to create a country where the spirit of freedom and solidarity breathes and where law and principles stand upright," adding, "That is the way to embrace the truly vulnerable in our society and to overcome the current complex crisis." President Yoon also said, "I reaffirm here the pledge I made when I first stepped into politics, the mission to protect and uphold liberal democracy. I believe that fulfilling this mission is no different from practicing the teachings of Jesus."

President Yoon's remarks are interpreted as reaffirming a tough stance against illegal strikes as the Cargo Solidarity's collective transport refusal has continued for 12 days and the KCTU's general strike approaches just one day away. On the 1st, President Yoon appealed to stop the Cargo Solidarity's collective transport refusal, citing issues such as the dual structure of the labor market, protection of vulnerable workers, and the triple challenges of high interest rates, high prices, and high exchange rates. However, due to the Cargo Solidarity strike, damages have spread with shipment disruptions exceeding 3 trillion won in sectors including oil refining, steel, and petrochemicals, prompting a shift to a tough response policy.

Especially at the inter-ministerial countermeasure meeting held the previous day, President Yoon instructed, "Prepare to immediately issue work commencement orders for industries such as oil refining and steel where additional damages are expected due to the collective transport refusal." At this meeting, President Yoon strongly criticized, "They are depriving others of their freedom and holding the entire economy hostage for their own benefit," calling it "a serious threat to the rule of law."

It is also analyzed that President Yoon's confidence in state affairs management was boosted by a rebound in his approval ratings following the recent Cargo Solidarity strike incident, contributing to the shift to a hardline stance. President Yoon recently recovered his approval rating to 30% in various polls, and in a survey released by Realmeter on the same day, his approval rating for state affairs management rose by 2.5 percentage points from the previous week to 38.9%. This survey was conducted over five days from the 28th of last month to the 2nd of this month, targeting 2,507 voters aged 18 and over nationwide, commissioned by Media Tribune.

Meanwhile, the National Breakfast Prayer Meeting is an interdenominational Christian gathering that began in 1966, inviting the president and spouse once a year. The event proceeded with a first part of praise worship and a second part of prayer meeting. At this event, President Yoon emphasized, "I reaffirm here the pledge I made when I first stepped into politics, the mission to protect and uphold liberal democracy," adding, "I believe that fulfilling this mission is no different from practicing the teachings of Jesus."

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