Yoon Calls for Reform: "We Must Learn Lessons from Election Results and Drive Change"

A Reminder to Some Aides... Chief Kim Dae-gi Conveys to People Power Party Leadership
Expected Shift in Government Policy to Meet 'Public Expectations'... Focus Likely on Economy and Livelihood

President Yoon Suk-yeol told his aides on the 13th, "It is important to calmly and wisely pursue change by learning lessons from the election results." President Yoon's message was reportedly conveyed to the People Power Party leadership by Kim Dae-gi, the Chief of Staff to the President.

According to the Blue House, President Yoon made these remarks during a meeting with some aides that morning. This was President Yoon's first message following the by-election for the Gangseo District Office on the 11th. The day before, the Blue House had only issued a brief statement saying, "The government must take any election result seriously."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This appears to reflect a determination to incorporate the people's choice and public sentiment into state affairs. Some expect that this election will mark the beginning of a wave of reform not only within the Blue House but also across the government and ruling party.

President Yoon's governance approach is also expected to shift toward changes targeting the "people's expectations." Until now, he focused on differentiating himself by making strong remarks against the previous administration, North Korea, and vested interest groups, but it is said that messages will now focus on livelihood and the economy. President Yoon has already expressed his intention to concentrate on managing public welfare in the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, according to Gallup Korea's regular survey conducted from the 10th to the 12th of last month (a telephone interview survey of 1,002 adults aged 18 and over nationwide), 33% of respondents evaluated President Yoon's current job performance positively, while 58% gave a negative evaluation. Compared to the previous survey conducted in the third week of September, the positive rating increased by 1 percentage point, while the negative rating decreased by 1 percentage point.

Regarding the 22nd National Assembly election scheduled for April next year, 39% of respondents said that many ruling party candidates should be elected to support the current government. In contrast, 48% said that many opposition party candidates should be elected to check the current government.

For detailed survey methodology and results related to the poll, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

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