[Opinion] Why Is Public Opinion Turning Its Back on a Government That Is Making Efforts?

Published 18 Jul.2023 11:31(KST)

According to the public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Korea in the second week of July, President Yoon Seok-yeol's job approval rating stood at 32%, approaching the previous lowest point of 30%. The percentage of respondents who believe he is "doing poorly" rose to 57%. Party support rates showed the People Power Party at 33% and the Democratic Party of Korea at 34%. Compared to the first week of March's party support survey, the People Power Party's support dropped by 6 percentage points, while the Democratic Party of Korea's support increased by 5 percentage points. Notably, in the first week of July survey regarding next year's general election, the response that "many ruling party candidates must be elected to support the current government" fell by 4 percentage points from 42% in March to 38%, whereas the response that "many opposition party candidates must be elected to check the current government" rose sharply by 6 percentage points from 44% in March to 50%. Based solely on the survey results, support for the president and the ruling party is bottoming out together, casting a dark shadow over next year's general election.

The most puzzling survey result is that despite continuous adverse factors, the Democratic Party of Korea's support is rising. How should we understand this contradictory pattern where the president and ruling party, who are working hard to carry out state affairs, see their approval ratings decline, while the opposition party, facing successive setbacks, sees its support increase? What exactly does the public desire?

The fact that public opinion favors checking a weak government with a minority ruling party rather than supporting a weak government with a majority ruling party to enable it to work clearly reflects that something is seriously wrong with the current government's politics, regardless of the reasons. The passage rate of bills submitted by the current government in the National Assembly is 8%, the lowest among all administrations. If the structure of a minority ruling party and majority opposition party in the National Assembly is not changed in next year's general election, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is highly likely to remain a "plant government" for the rest of its term. Furthermore, the 2027 presidential election will become even harder to predict a victory.

Then, what exactly are the president and the People Power Party doing wrong? Before judging the validity of slogans such as "the pro-North forces' song of ending the war," "the Ministry of Unification is a North Korea support department," "breaking the killer questions in the college entrance exam," "cracking down on predatory interest cartels," "cancellation of the Yangpyeong expressway," and "the 400 trillion won national debt from the previous government is fraud against taxpayers and exploitation of future generations," the current government is showing rough and excessive rhetoric and state affairs management behavior.

Politics must be inclusive to increase the number of supporters and reduce opponents. Policies must maintain balance to increase supporters and reduce dissatisfaction, which is common sense. Nevertheless, in the current government, the president throws an "uppercut," and the government policies follow with a "straight punch," resulting in many citizens fearing what might happen if they support such a government further, leading to a counterproductive effect of recoiling and rejecting it.

The most foolish politics is one that disputes right and wrong with the people. While courts decide based on right and wrong, politics values empathy and atmosphere more. The difference between "Ah" and "Uh" lies in the underlying empathy in the sound. When the president, believing he is right, throws an uppercut with full force, the public tends to focus more on the act of throwing punches than on right or wrong. This is interpreted as the reason why the public distrusts a minority ruling party government and sees entrusting greater power as risky. Public sentiment desires politics that can empathize beyond right and wrong. Empathy is public sentiment.

Kim Dong-won, Former Visiting Professor at Korea University