<기사제목>Presidential Office Responds to Lowest Approval Ratings: "We Will Do Our Best to Address Shortcomings" (Comprehensive)

Yoon's Approval Rating Drops, "We Will Listen to the People's Voices"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Presidential Office stated on the 25th regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's declining approval ratings, "Under a serious awareness of the situation, we will listen even more closely to the voices of the people."

A Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the same day and said, "We will do our best every day to make up for the shortcomings."

According to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup from the 22nd to the 24th targeting 1,001 people nationwide aged 18 and over, and released on the same day, the positive evaluation of President Yoon's job performance dropped 2 percentage points from the previous week's survey to 20%, marking the lowest point since his inauguration. Among the 698 respondents who gave a negative evaluation, 15% pointed to the 'Kim Geon-hee issue.'

The Presidential Office official said, "We will put more effort into livelihood and reform tasks going forward," adding, "Regarding measures related to Mrs. Kim, President Yoon has sufficiently spoken about them during his meeting with Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and if there are additional discussions or reviews, we will address them at the next opportunity."

Regarding Han Dong-hoon's claim that the recommendation of a special inspector is a presidential election pledge, the Presidential Office explained, "Our consistent position is that if the party decides, we will appoint the special inspector."

The official emphasized, "The issue related to the appointment of directors to the North Korean Human Rights Foundation is a matter that the party should naturally decide separately," adding, "In that process, the ruling party must consider that North Korean human rights is an issue tied to the party's identity and constitutional values."

Earlier, Han stated regarding the procedure to appoint a special inspector to resolve the risks related to Mrs. Kim, "Our party's official stance has never been to add conditions and not fulfill the election pledge," emphasizing that the pledge should be implemented as is.

On the other hand, pro-Yoon factions, including President Yoon and floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, oppose this, making internal party coordination necessary.

When asked about the Democratic Party of Korea's criticism of the government and ruling party's response to North Korea's troop dispatch to Russia and their holding of an emergency rally titled 'Condemnation of the New North Wind' on the morning of the same day, the Presidential Office responded, "Shouldn't condemnation of North Korea's troop dispatch come first?"

People Power Party lawmaker Han Ki-ho sent a message to National Security Office Director Shin Won-sik during the National Defense Committee's audit the previous day, suggesting "attacking North Korean troops dispatched to Russia and using this for psychological warfare against North Korea." In response, the Democratic Party held an emergency rally demanding Shin's dismissal. A Presidential Office official explained regarding the texts between Director Shin and lawmaker Han, "There are various policy proposals, and this was a routine response to them," adding, "It is not the government's official position."

Regarding the expiration of the term of a prosecutor investigating allegations of external pressure in the Marine Corps soldier Chae Sang-byeong's death case at the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office, the Presidential Office said, "(President Yoon's) approval deadline is until the 27th, so we will inform you once a decision is made."

Regarding the third-quarter economic growth rate falling short of previous expectations and recording only 0.1% growth, the office stated, "While the previously difficult domestic demand is showing visible recovery centered on facility investment and consumption, the export sector experienced base effects and temporary factors such as automobile production," adding, "The third-quarter export amount based on customs clearance, reflecting export unit prices, showed a 10.6% increase compared to the same period last year, and the total export amount for this year is expected to surpass 2022, which was the highest ever based on customs clearance."

They continued, "We will monitor trends in each sector such as domestic demand and exports, focus on stabilizing the felt and livelihood economy, and devise response measures as necessary."

Regarding the possibility of President Yoon not attending the 2025 budget bill's policy speech at the National Assembly, the Presidential Office said, "We need to consider the situation in the National Assembly," adding, "Nothing has been confirmed yet."