Presidential Office: "We Will Reflect Public Sentiment in State Affairs... Appointments Prioritize Caution Over Speed"

Yoon's Approval Rating Hits Lowest Since Inauguration
On Controversy Over Unofficial Personnel Intervention, "Spokesperson Office's Position Is the Presidential Office's Position"

The Presidential Office stated on the 19th that President Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating for state affairs has hit its lowest point since his inauguration, adding, "We will carefully consider the will of the people and strive to reflect public sentiment well in future state administration."

A Presidential Office official made this remark during a meeting with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day in response to questions about President Yoon's approval rating.

Korea Gallup announced on the day that in the third week of April survey conducted from the 16th to the 18th among 1,000 people nationwide aged 18 and older, the positive evaluation of President Yoon's state administration was 23%, while the negative evaluation was 68%. (The survey was conducted via telephone interviews using virtual numbers from the three major mobile carriers; response rate was 12.1%. The confidence level is 95% with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points. For more details, refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.)

On the 16th, one day before President Yoon Seok-yeol's 100th day in office, the Presidential Office building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul is shown. President Yoon, emphasizing the elimination of authoritarianism, moved the stage of state affairs from the former Blue House to Yongsan. With the president's office relocated to Yongsan, the Blue House was fully opened to the public. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Regarding the delay in appointing the new Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, the official said, "At this moment, being cautious is more important than being swift," adding, "Of course, the public watching may feel fatigued, but the delay is due to the need for careful selection."

On suspicions that a secret influence was involved in the so-called 'opposition figure appointment rumors' that former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun and former Democratic Research Institute Director Yang Jeong-cheol are being considered for the next Prime Minister and Chief of Staff respectively, the official drew a clear line, stating, "The spokesperson's office position is the Presidential Office's position."

Earlier, on the 17th, the Presidential Office Spokesperson's Office had stated, "The appointments of former Minister Park Young-sun and former Director Yang Jeong-cheol reported by some media have not been considered."