[The Editors' Verdict] President Yoon Must Reshuffle the Presidential Secretariat

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Power is like a thin sheet of ice. From the outside, it seems as if you can do anything in the world. It even gives the illusion that a single word can turn the impossible into possible, like a magic wand. People bow their heads, and those around them are full of "Yes, that's right" responses. That is why power is often said to be like a drug. However, power is as dangerous as thin ice that can break at any moment. Crossing thin ice requires choosing the right time and place to avoid falling into the water. It demands meticulousness and a sense of crisis to survive. If you take it lightly and cross recklessly, you are likely to fall into the water and face a situation beyond your control.

Power also requires the skill of meticulous power management. Only then can you realize your dreams in the battlefield of power struggles, just as you survive on thin ice. Those in power usually say, "I will only look to public opinion." But public opinion changes from morning to evening. It is constantly shifting. Therefore, such words are hollow. Messages must have a clear target, be followed by authoritative interpretation, and consider the aftereffects. Political considerations about who, when, where, in what form, and what to say are essential. To understand and stabilize a scene swirling with various interests, brain functions that judge situations and pinpoint the core are also important.

Power is also like a mirage. It appears as a fixed and unchanging entity but gradually disappears at some point. The words of former lawmaker Jeong Du-eon come to mind: "The reality of presidential power is that it begins to wane the moment one is elected." Nothing in the world is eternal. Power is no exception. Therefore, power must always be humble. While some focus on what policies are pursued, people also pay attention to the attitude of power. In some respects, words and messages move people's hearts more than content. It is not only mirages that are invisible when they leave. The same goes for hearts.

The Yoon Seok-yeol administration seems unaware of the thin ice and mirage. As a result, approval ratings have dropped gradually, like clothes getting wet in a drizzle. This is still ongoing. The people are crying out, "Save us," but the ruling party is engrossed in power struggles. It is natural for approval ratings to fall when they go a different path from public opinion. The so-called ‘Pro-Yoon Seok-yeol faction (Pro-Yoon)’ and the camp of Representative Lee Jun-seok have clashed, and now divisions within the Pro-Yoon group have begun. The situation is not being orderly resolved. In short, it is chaos. Without a center and deep roots, conflicts are not easily resolved and seem likely to continue for some time. The conflict between the president and Representative Lee has been exposed, leading to a phase that cannot be resolved with a single word. Moreover, as seen in the controversy over Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae’s announcement of the ‘age 5 elementary school admission’ school system reform plan, opposition to half-baked policies is also growing.

A new term that emerged in the political world around the time of President Yoon’s election is ‘Yoonhaekgwan (Yoon Seok-yeol Core Associates).’ It seemed their era was beginning, but the situation has quickly changed. They are even facing pressure to resign from within. This is a self-inflicted problem. Those who claim to support the president repeatedly engage in words and actions that lead themselves into a quagmire, so it is only natural that the whip of public opinion rains down. The Yoonhaekgwan should step back to the second line, and the president should reorganize the presidential secretariat, which has exposed weaknesses in political judgment and messaging functions, and then pursue politics of integration.