Kim Kyung-yul: "Only waiting for the Presidential Office... Approval Rating Has Fallen to the Basement Below the Floor"

Kim Kyung-yul, an emergency committee member of the People Power Party, commented on the current unfavorable general election landscape for the ruling party, saying, "The party has not taken the lead in its relationship with the presidential office," and added, "During the election period, the party should have proposed alternatives and taken the lead, but instead, they waited to see what the presidential office would do, causing approval ratings to drop and leading to a situation described as 'a basement below the floor.'"

Handonghun, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Kim Kyung-yul, Emergency Response Committee Member, are conversing during the Emergency Response Committee meeting held on the morning of the 29th of last month at the People Power Party Central Party Office in Yeouido, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the evening of the 28th, Kim appeared on CBS Radio’s ‘Park Jae-hong’s One Round Match’ and analyzed, "At the beginning of the election, it was framed as ‘Chairman Han Dong-hoon versus Representative Lee Jae-myung,’ which in many ways gave us an advantage, but that narrative kept getting buried, and now it has shifted to ‘President Yoon Seok-yeol versus Cho Kuk and Lee Jae-myung,’ which has somewhat dragged us into a less favorable front."

He continued, "It is regrettable that within the party and the emergency committee, there are not many voices or personnel backing Chairman Han," and pointed out, "The most basic tool in politics is communication, but the People Power Party seems to lack that." This implies that the ruling party must seize leadership within the ruling coalition even if it means clashing with the presidential office.

Regarding Chairman Han recently, Kim said, "Even I can see that he is struggling," and added, "In the past, he was often seen joking and smiling even during closed meetings, but recently, I haven’t seen him speak with a smile."

On the conflict between the government and doctors over the medical school quota, he stated, "A more progressive and radical approach is needed," and said, "If it is about gaining public support, then even rupture or crisis should not be avoided."