Park Sung-min "Although the term has passed the halfway point, the president lacks an image, which is fatal"

"The Family's Problem Is Ultimately the President's Problem"

Regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating hitting a record low of 17% after passing the midpoint of his term, Park Seong-min, head of Political Consulting Min, stated, "It is a critical situation where even the president's image has yet to be established."

President Yoon Suk-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 11th, Park said this on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' adding, "The president should be guided by two symbolic capitals: authority and trust, but (President Yoon) is still in a state where even the presidential image has not been formed."

Regarding President Yoon leaving Yongsan 'for communication,' Park pointed out that it was "giving up authority." He also claimed that the president's authority was damaged during First Lady Kim Geon-hee's private phone calls. He continued, "The president's words and actions reflected through doorstepping (brief Q&A on the way to work) and press conferences have lowered his authority," adding, "When there is a lot of talk, promises tend to be broken, and as trust in the president's words declines, authority also diminishes."

According to a survey conducted by Korea Gallup from the 5th to the 7th among 1,002 voters aged 18 and over nationwide (with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points), President Yoon's positive job performance rating was 17%, and the negative rating was 74%. This marks a 2 percentage point drop within a week from the previous survey (conducted from the 29th to the 31st of last month), which recorded 19%. The presidential office stated on the 8th, "We will strive fiercely to gain the trust and confidence of the people through change."

The top reason for negative evaluations was cited as the issue involving First Lady Kim Geon-hee, but Park emphasized, "The family's issues ultimately become the president's issues," adding, "The president must recognize that it is his own problem. If he does not feel responsible, that is the essence of the crisis."

On the 7th, during a national address and press conference, President Yoon addressed the controversy arising from First Lady Kim's 'private contacts,' saying, "During the candidate period, the president-elect period, and after becoming president, the communication method was harsh but needed to be changed," and "If we had changed it in advance according to the protocol of former presidents, this problem would not have occurred, but I myself failed to do so."

Park explained, "The president's perception is that he did well during the general and presidential elections but faced difficulties because of Lee Jun-seok, the reformist lawmaker of the New Party, Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, and the emergency committee chairman." He criticized, "It seems like he is saying his term is difficult because of First Lady Kim, but rather, it appears that First Lady Kim is being attacked more excessively because of President Yoon."