[Reporter’s Notebook] After His Overseas Trip, Yoon Should Strive to Be Number One in Winning Public Sentiment

Securing 107 Trillion Won in Investments During State Visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Overseas Achievements Contrast with Domestic Public Sentiment
Approaching Public Opinion Without a "Your Side" or "My Side" Mentality is Essential

President Yoon Seok-yeol, who has proclaimed himself as South Korea's first top salesperson, returned home on the 26th after a 4-night, 6-day state visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, achieving economic results worth $20.2 billion (approximately 27 trillion won). Since last November, he has signed investment contracts and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) totaling $79.2 billion (107 trillion won) across the Middle East's BIG3 countries: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Contrasting with the positive outcomes of his overseas trips is the domestic public sentiment sales performance. After the ruling party lost the by-election for the Gangseo District Office chief, President Yoon pulled out the cards of "change," "communication," and "livelihood field," and senior officials from the presidential office and government have been visiting traditional markets and care schools, among other livelihood sites. However, public opinion seems unable to fully feel the president’s words and actions. According to a telephone interview survey conducted by the polling specialist Embrain Public on behalf of YTN over two days starting the 22nd, targeting 1,004 male and female voters nationwide aged 18 and older (with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level; detailed information is available on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website), only 24.3% of voters expected a change in the government's policy direction.

The reporter generally agrees with these poll results. Over the past one year and five months of covering the presidential office, observing controversies such as the start and suspension of door-stepping and the absence of press conferences, there were many moments when one wondered where the communication that President Yoon emphasized had gone. To overcome economic crises such as high inflation, high exchange rates, and high interest rates, the political and administrative branches need to put their heads together, but from the perspective of persuading the opposition party through dialogue to solve problems, the president’s approach still leaves much to be desired. Rather, many citizens express fatigue over the president’s ideological and political remarks targeting the opposition, such as the fight against communism-totalitarianism and anti-state forces.

Considering the political stance President Yoon has maintained so far, restoring trust through this approach does not seem easy. Therefore, it is believed that President Yoon needs a more humble attitude, a posture of "Eul" (the subordinate party), to steadily listen to public sentiment more than now. President Yoon should hold the mindset of continuously meeting marginalized citizens until the end of his term and resolving livelihood issues no matter who he meets, and appeal this to public sentiment. Both the ruling and opposition parties are our people. Only when approaching with the attitude that there is no "your side" or "my side" will public sentiment gradually move, and he will be able to earn the title of the number one top salesperson not only abroad but also in domestic affairs.

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