"Yoon, Positive Offset to Image of Poor Communication" vs "Selective Communication for Policy Promotion"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the "Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People - Ninth Session, Neulbom School with Warm Care and Education" held on the 5th at Shinwoo Elementary School in Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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The 'Public Livelihood Discussion Forum' chaired by President Yoon Suk-yeol has been progressing rapidly, having been held nine times as of the previous day. What drew attention to this forum was that it was conducted alongside the central government ministries' New Year work reports. It was organized in a way that removed barriers between ministries and allowed the government and the public to discuss specific issues and devise solutions together.

For now, the communication efforts are positive. In the nine forums held, President Yoon made efforts to explain policy tasks closely related to the public's daily life?such as housing, semiconductors, win-win finance, regulatory reform on daily life, transportation, digital innovation, medical reform, and Neulbom School?from the public’s perspective, which has largely offset his previous image of poor communication.

It is also notable that younger generations were targeted by leveraging YouTubers. At the 4th forum held on the 17th of last month, which focused on win-win finance, Jeon Seok-jae, operator of the economic YouTube channel 'Shuka World' with 3.02 million subscribers, pointed out the Korea discount issue related to the Korean stock market. At the 7th forum on the 30th of last month, themed on digital win-win and protection of public rights, Kim Seong-hoe, operator of 'G Encyclopedia' and a gaming YouTuber, criticized the gaming industry's insufficient consumer rights. President Yoon responded by addressing consumer rights issues such as eradicating small-scale fraud in gaming and mandating disclosure of probability-type item information, attracting attention.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the "Eighth Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People - Medical Reform to Save Lives and Communities" held on the 1st at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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However, there are criticisms that the novelty of the forums is diminishing as the number of sessions increases. The 'Regulatory Reform on Daily Life' forum, held during a time when President Yoon had a direct confrontation over controversies involving People Power Party’s Han Dong-hoon emergency committee chairman and First Lady Kim Geon-hee, was overshadowed by President Yoon’s sudden absence. Since the forum focused on regulatory reforms closely related to public life, such as the abolition of the Act on the Distribution Structure of Mobile Communication Terminals (DanTong Law) and deregulation of large supermarkets, the absence was regrettable.

The format, which leans more toward policy promotion than lively discussion, is also cited as an area for improvement. At the forum on medical reform held on the 1st, President Yoon emphasized, "Now is the golden time for medical reform," and stated, "To prepare for a shortage of about 15,000 doctors by 2035, we will significantly expand medical school quotas starting from the next admission year." Amid strong opposition from the medical community, including the Korean Medical Association, the forum featured only panelists emphasizing the necessity, with no opposing voices, raising doubts.

In particular, there are even criticisms that the policies announced at this forum are either President Yoon’s election pledges or initiatives pursued since the government’s inception, suggesting they are being reiterated to appeal to voters. The venues for the forums have been limited to Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, mostly in areas where the ruling party is weak, leading to criticism that this is a strategy to secure votes ahead of the general election. Given that these are supposed to be public livelihood forums, there are concerns about whether the opinions of citizens living in other regions are being properly collected. So far, the nine forums have been held in Seoul (Financial Supervisory Service, Korea Creative Content Agency Hongneung Campus) and seven times in Gyeonggi Province, including Yongin, Goyang Ilsan, Suwon, Uijeongbu, Seongnam Bundang (twice), and Hanam.

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Analyzing the electoral districts based on the venue addresses, except for the 1st forum held at the Small and Medium Business Human Resources Development Institute in Yongin (Yongin Gap, currently vacant) and the 7th forum held at Bundang 2nd Technovalley (Bundang Gap, People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo), all other locations are constituencies represented by Democratic Party lawmakers. Moreover, except for the 2nd (Goyang Aram Nuri, Goyang City Byeong), 3rd (Sungkyunkwan University Semiconductor Hall, Suwon), and 7th forums, six of the locations are districts where presidential office aides, cabinet members, or campaign personnel of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration are running for office, raising suspicions of election support.

Professor Lee Hyun-woo of Sogang University’s Department of Political Science and Diplomacy evaluated, "Summarizing the forums held so far, there is a strong impression that the government selectively listens to the public." He pointed out, "Forums consisting solely of panels offering praise without opposition and focusing on policy promotion are unlikely to attract public attention anymore and have limited policy promotion effects."

In response, a presidential office official said, "Although it was initially known that about 10 forums would be held, we are seriously considering holding around 15 sessions by early next month," adding, "We plan to hold forums not only in the metropolitan area but also in the Chungcheong region."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the "Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People - Sixth Session, The Era of 30-Minute Commutes, Resolving Transportation Disparities" held at the main auditorium of Uijeongbu City Hall, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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