Yoon's Approval Ratings Stuck in 20-30% Range
Personnel Reshuffle's Symbolic Effect Weak, Fails to Boost Ratings
President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 2nd. / Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Joo-hee] The approval rating of President Yoon Suk-yeol, which had shown a slight upward trend over the past three weeks, has entered a downward trend again. President Yoon focused on a major personnel reshuffle in the presidential office and efforts to address public livelihood around his 100th day in office. However, due to prolonged internal turmoil within the ruling People Power Party and unresolved controversies related to First Lady Kim Keon-hee, it is analyzed that there was no significant turning point for a full-fledged shift in approval ratings.
According to a survey conducted by Realmeter targeting 2,516 adults aged 18 and over nationwide during the fifth week of August (August 29 to September 2) (with a sampling error of ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, 97% wireless and 3% wired method, response rate 4.2%, detailed information available on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website), President Yoon's positive evaluation of state affairs was recorded at 32.3%, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous week. After showing a slight upward trend from 30.4% in the second week of August to 32.3% in the third week and 33.6% in the fourth week, it turned downward after four weeks. Negative evaluations rose 1.6 percentage points from the previous week to 64.9%.
Notably, the drop in approval ratings in the Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK) region was a painful point for President Yoon. In this survey, the positive evaluation in the TK region fell 3.3 percentage points from the previous week to 40.9%. Negative evaluations rose 9.4 percentage points to 57.9%. The TK region, known as a conservative stronghold, is also a core support base for President Yoon. Although President Yoon visited Seomun Market, a traditional market in Daegu, on August 26 and held a meeting with merchants as part of his efforts to connect with public sentiment, it is analyzed that this did not result in a rebound in approval ratings.
Looking at ideological tendencies, the approval rating among conservatives also declined. The positive evaluation among conservatives dropped 7.2 percentage points from the previous week to 52.0%, while negative evaluations rose 5.4 percentage points to 44.4%.
President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the morning of the 5th, is arriving at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul and responding to reporters' questions by stating that he will do his best to ensure the safety of the people regarding the approaching Typhoon Hinnamnor. [Image source=Yonhap News]
After his 100th day in office, President Yoon embarked on a high-intensity personnel overhaul. The reshuffle mainly focused on the Office of Civil Society Senior Secretary and the political affairs line, which frequently interact with external figures. Early in his term, frequent security incidents such as internal information leaks occurred, and as 'personnel issues' were pointed out as the biggest cause of the decline in President Yoon's approval ratings, efforts were made to improve the system. It was also interpreted that President Yoon's 'distancing from Yoon Core Relations (Yoonhaekgwan)' began in earnest, as many of the personnel targeted for this overhaul were known to be connected to so-called 'Yoonhaekgwan'?key associates of President Yoon.
However, former People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok's ongoing attacks and public opinion battles against President Yoon and the party, along with continued confusion surrounding the ruling party's leadership system, acted as negative factors. Additionally, unresolved issues such as First Lady Kim Keon-hee's false career claims and stock manipulation allegations prevented a rebound in approval ratings.
Some critics argue that the presidential office's personnel reshuffle was only 'half-hearted.' Although it was called a high-intensity personnel overhaul, most of the replaced personnel were secretaries and administrative officers, while senior officials at the chief secretary level and above have not yet been replaced. There is also criticism that aides from the prosecution background were excluded from the personnel overhaul. On August 30, Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out at a floor strategy meeting, "There has been no mention of disciplinary action or dismissal for prosecution-affiliated officials directly responsible for the personnel disaster, such as the legal secretary, personnel secretary, and public service discipline secretary responsible for internal audits."
Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "There were insufficient aspects in the direction and content of the personnel overhaul conducted by the presidential office so far," adding, "Senior officials should be replaced first, followed by lower-level personnel, but the process is going in reverse. It was insufficient to give the impression that the presidential office has been thoroughly revamped through a proper personnel overhaul."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
