Jeong Cheong-rae "President Moon may leave office with over 50% approval rating... an astonishing figure"

"South Korea's COVID-19 Response, President Moon's Contributions Are Significant"

Jeong Cheong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Jeong Cheong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 21st predicted regarding President Moon Jae-in's approval rating, "He might become a successful president who leaves office with more than half of the support."

Jeong wrote on his Facebook that day, "There are many news reports that President Moon's approval rating has sharply rebounded to 43.6%," adding, "Approval ratings go up and down, but compared to the approximately 20% approval ratings of presidents at the end of their terms in history, this is a very surprising figure."

He continued, "Former President Kim Young-sam ended his term with a 6% approval rating according to Gallup, and former President Park Geun-hye ended her term with around 5% approval rating amid impeachment," and said, "Although President Moon's approval rating has dropped compared to the early days of his term, it is maintaining the 40% range and might even record a majority approval rating of over 50%."

Jeong cited the Moon Jae-in administration's response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) as the reason for the solid approval rating.

President Moon Jae-in is speaking at the 'COVID-19 Vaccine Company Video Meeting' held on the morning of the 20th at SK Bioscience factory in Andong-si, Gyeongbuk. / Photo by Yonhap News

He shared a post on Facebook about President Moon receiving the 500th COVID-19 report the previous day (20th), saying, "I sincerely thank the medical staff and quarantine officials who have worked tirelessly to overcome COVID-19, and above all, the citizens who have actively cooperated by giving up their daily lives," emphasizing, "President Moon Jae-in's merit of trusting the people, transparently disclosing all data, and standing with the people regardless of gains or losses should not be overlooked."

He added, "In the 5,000-year history, South Korea has never attracted such concentrated global attention," explaining, "Even the world's strongest countries, the United States and Europe, have been devastated by COVID-19. They have suffered tremendous damage compared to our South Korea."

Jeong said, "From the first year of the administration, the opposition party falsely attacked that the economy was collapsing, but even amid the COVID-19 crisis, South Korea recorded the highest economic growth rate among OECD countries and maintained the highest-ever foreign exchange reserves of 443.1 billion dollars," emphasizing, "The Global Competitiveness Index by the World Economic Forum (WEF), announced annually, has overcome the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye eras, rising to 17th, 15th, and 13th in the first three years, and macroeconomic stability ranks first in the world."

He added, "Of course, these indicators do not directly resonate with the everyday lives of ordinary people. Citizens are still suffering from the pain of the COVID-19 crisis," but said, "I hope the light of hope is reflected in each individual's life."