Handuksoo "Difficult for the People to Accept"
Ruling Party Leadership "Building Up Regime Resignation"
On the 30th, as the government decided to exercise its right to request reconsideration (veto power) on the double special investigation laws including the Kim Geon-hee First Lady Special Investigation Act and the Chae Sang-byeong Special Investigation Act to President Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party also began efforts to strengthen internal unity. This is because if the special investigation laws, which are returning to the National Assembly, are allowed under pressure from the opposition parties such as the Democratic Party, it could escalate into a full-scale attack aimed at the regime's resignation.
On the 30th, the government held a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo at the Seoul Government Complex in Sejong-ro, where it resolved to exercise veto power on the 'Kim Geon-hee First Lady Special Investigation Act,' the 'Chae Sang-byeong Special Investigation Act,' and the 'Local Currency Act,' and decided to recommend President Yoon to exercise the veto. Earlier, opposition parties including the Democratic Party had unilaterally passed these bills at the National Assembly plenary session on the 19th and sent them to the government. In his opening remarks that day, Prime Minister Han criticized, "The government has already requested reconsideration several times, and these bills were discarded after the National Assembly's reconsideration. The opposition's repeated push for bills with even greater constitutional issues will be difficult for reasonable citizens to accept."
The ruling party also took steps to prevent defections and tighten internal discipline. There is backlash within the ruling party as some believe that defending First Lady Kim, who has not issued a moral apology, is negatively affecting not only the president's approval rating but also the ruling party's support. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Realmeter commissioned by Energy Economy Newspaper from the 23rd to the 27th among 2,507 voters aged 18 and over nationwide (with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±2.0 percentage points), President Yoon's positive evaluation of state affairs was 25.8%, the lowest since his inauguration. In a party support survey conducted from the 26th to the 27th among 1,003 voters aged 18 and over nationwide (with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points), the People Power Party recorded 29.9%, while the Democratic Party recorded 43.2%.
As the opposition party escalated its special investigation offensive and opposition lawmakers and progressive groups held an impeachment concert against President Yoon at the National Assembly on the 27th, the ruling party is interpreted to harbor concerns that this could lead to division and calls for regime resignation. Representative Han Dong-hoon labeled the use of smoke bombs during the march by the group that held the event as 'mass terror actions,' and expressed regret, urging the National Assembly Secretariat and the Democratic Party, which authorized the event, to stop all actions that undermine the authority, symbolism, and dignity of the National Assembly. Floor leader Choo also emphasized unity, stating, "As the opposition and leftists' calls for regime resignation become more blatant, the People Power Party will unite more firmly and fight back strongly."
Meanwhile, the presidential approval rating and party support surveys were conducted using automated response methods with 97% wireless and 3% wired, with response rates of 2.7% and 2.6%, respectively. For detailed information, please refer to the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.
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