"Bubble" vs. "Will Grow Bigger When Hit" Debate Over Yagwon No.1 Yoon Seok-yeol

Last Month's Presidential Candidate Poll: 3rd Overall, 1st in Opposition
Ruling Party: "Mirage-like Phenomenon" vs Opposition: "Public Support for Principled Stance"

Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] Yoon Seok-yeol, Prosecutor General, ranked 3rd in the next presidential candidate poll and 1st among opposition candidates, sparking heated debates in the political sphere.

While the ruling party dismissed it as a temporary phenomenon with comments like "unbelievable" and "bubble," the opposition claims that "the public supports him for his unwavering stance."

Choi Kang-wook, leader of the Open Democratic Party, appeared on CBS's 'Sisa Jaki Jung Kwan-yong' on the 30th of last month and said, "(Yoon's 3rd place in the presidential candidate support rate) is an unbelievable event," adding, "It seems that interest has focused on (Yoon) as those who claim to be conservatives in South Korea have nowhere to direct their support."

He continued, "As for how solid the support rate is, he must overcome that with his political capabilities," adding, "For now, it is likely a bubble."

Seo Young-kyo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on YTN Radio's 'Noh Young-hee's Start New Morning' on the 1st and commented on Yoon's sudden rise, saying, "Because there is no suitable presidential candidate in the opposition, the story is coming out like a temporary mirage," and "(Yoon) should focus on doing his best in his own field."

On the other hand, the opposition claimed that this poll result is "meaningful." Former Future United Party lawmaker Kim Moo-sung said on the same day, "The more the ruling party attacks Yoon's support rate, the bigger it will get," adding, "From the perspective of ordinary citizens with common sense, many criticize the scenes where Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and Democratic Party lawmakers shake Yoon."

He added, "I see this as a phenomenon where the public wants a leader who moves forward without compromising on conviction and loyalty in their work."

Earlier, in a next presidential candidate preference poll conducted by Realmeter commissioned by 'OhmyNews,' Yoon recorded a support rate of 10.1%, ranking 3rd overall. Notably, in this poll, Yoon ranked 1st among opposition figures, surpassing independent lawmaker Hong Joon-pyo (5.3%) and former Future United Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn (4.8%).

The survey was conducted over five days from the 22nd to the 26th of last month, targeting 2,537 adult men and women nationwide.

Meanwhile, Yoon has clashed daily with the ruling party over various issues, including the former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook's petition case and the Channel A reporter-prosecutor collusion allegations.

Choo Mi-ae, Minister of Justice / Photo by Yonhap News

On the 25th of last month, Minister Choo attended a forum of first-term Democratic Party lawmakers in the National Assembly and strongly criticized, saying, "(Yoon) cut my instructions in half," and "If he humbly listened to the minister's words, things would have passed smoothly, but he complicated matters by acting as if he was giving orders."

Earlier, regarding allegations of perjury coaching by the prosecution during the former Prime Minister Han's case, Yoon had assigned the case to the Human Rights Supervision Office of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.

However, on the 18th of last month, Minister Choo said, "It is a matter of inspection, but it was distorted as if it were a human rights issue," and ordered the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to directly investigate key witnesses.

Three days later, on the 21st of last month, Yoon instructed that the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Human Rights Supervision Office and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Inspection Department share materials and conduct necessary investigations, and ordered the head of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office Human Rights Department to oversee the case.

Amid the conflict between Minister Choo and Yoon, pressure on Yoon continued from within the ruling party.

Seol Hoon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said in a YTN radio interview on the morning of the 19th of last month, "In no previous government have the Prosecutor General and the Minister of Justice shown such conflicting views and fought," adding, "If I were Yoon, I would have resigned already. It is not right to proceed with legal and judicial administration in this state for the people."