President Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 15th and answering questions from reporters. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Japanese media analyzed that President Yoon Suk-yeol's declining approval ratings resemble those of former President Lee Myung-bak.
Recently, Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun mentioned a public opinion poll on President Yoon's state administration approval ratings and made this observation.
According to the July second-week presidential job performance evaluation conducted and announced by the public opinion research firm Gallup Korea from the 12th to the 14th, 32% of respondents said President Yoon is "performing well" in his duties. This is a 5 percentage point drop compared to last week's poll (37%). The positive response rate for President Yoon's job performance has been on a downward trend for five consecutive weeks, falling from 53% in the second week of June.
On the other hand, the percentage of respondents who said President Yoon is "performing poorly" reached a record high of 53%, increasing by 4 percentage points from the previous week (49%). Negative evaluations were significantly higher across all age groups except those aged 70 and above.
Regarding this, the newspaper reported, "President Yoon's approval rating fell to the 30% range just two months after taking office," adding, "Compared to previous presidents such as Moon Jae-in and Park Geun-hye, whose approval ratings fluctuated around the second year of their terms, it can be seen that President Yoon's support base collapsed somewhat earlier."
It also analyzed that the changes in President Yoon's approval ratings resemble those seen in former President Lee's early tenure. The newspaper stated, "Former President Lee, who was embroiled in the mad cow disease controversy over imported U.S. beef, saw his approval rating drop to the 20% range within 70 days of taking office and plummet to the 10% range by the 100th day," adding, "In this respect, the two presidents are very similar."
The newspaper also focused on the fact that President Yoon's honeymoon period was quite short. It explained, "The approximately 100 days after a new president takes office is called the 'honeymoon' period," during which the opposition party and the media sometimes overlook mistakes while observing the new government's launch. It then diagnosed that "President Yoon's honeymoon period ended early."
The newspaper cited personnel issues as a factor in President Yoon's declining approval ratings. It analyzed that appointing close associates from his prosecutor days to key government positions has led to criticism of a "prosecutor republic." It also saw the disciplinary action against Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, and the shaken livelihood economy due to soaring prices as factors affecting approval ratings.
In fact, according to the Gallup Korea poll, among respondents who answered negatively about President Yoon's job performance, 26% cited "personnel" as the reason. This was followed by "lack of experience, qualifications, incompetence (11%)," "not caring about the economy and people's livelihood (10%)," and "lack of communication (5%)." Respondents with positive evaluations cited reasons such as "communication (10%)," "overcoming the previous administration (6%)," and "doing well overall (5%)."
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