Kim Jonghyuk: "Lee Jaemyung Administration Discards Kang Sunwoo as Approval Rating Drops"

"Ruthlessly Discarded... The Lee Jaemyung Administration Is Chilling"

Kim Jonghyuk, former Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, claimed that the decline in President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating likely influenced the resignation of Kang Sunwoo, the nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, who stepped down amid allegations of abuse of power.

Kang Sunwoo, nominee for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, is taking the oath at the confirmation hearing held by the National Assembly's Gender Equality and Family Committee on July 14, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

On July 23, Kim wrote on his Facebook page, "When the approval rating of the Lee Jaemyung administration fell by about 2 percentage points and opposition to the appointment of the Minister of Gender Equality and Family doubled the support, the administration ruthlessly discarded Kang Sunwoo, whose loyalty once seemed to drip honey from her eyes," adding, "It's chilling."

Regarding the People Power Party, he commented, "They are completely indifferent," and continued, "Since the presidential election, the party's support has plummeted to the 10% range, and the Democratic Party is leading in all regions except TK (Daegu-Gyeongbuk), but they don't seem to care at all."

Kim especially expressed concern that the People Power Party is becoming a "playground for the far right." He said, "Those responsible for the presidential defeat and the pro-Yoon (pro-Yoon Sukyeol) faction, who ruined the party, are suddenly calling for reform and renewal," adding, "Even a fool can see that this is just wordplay to protect their vested interests. It pains me to see the party turning into a playground for the far right."

On CBS Radio's "Park Jaehong's Hanpan Seungbu" that day, he said, "From President Syngman Rhee to President Park Chunghee, the mainstream conservative force of the People Power Party was the one that protected South Korea from communism, led industrialization, and embraced the tasks of democratization, making today's Korea possible," adding, "While there was pride in that, the mainstream force is now being completely taken over by the far right."

He continued, "I believe the fundamental cause was provided by former President Yoon Sukyeol," and added, "Looking at what he is doing now, it really seems like he is moving toward the far right purely for his own survival."

Regarding Jeon Hangil, a former Korean history lecturer who recently joined the People Power Party, Kim criticized that he is acting as if he owns the party. Kim said, "A person who joined just a month ago is claiming to be the owner of the People Power Party, saying, 'Now, if you want to run for party leader, you have to get my approval,'" and questioned, "Will those who want to run for party leader or National Assembly have to interview with Jeon Hangil and get his okay to run?"

Meanwhile, President Lee's approval rating has declined for the first time since taking office. According to a Realmeter poll commissioned by Energy Economy News, conducted from July 14 to 18 among 2,514 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, the positive evaluation of President Lee's performance was 62.2%, down 2.4 percentage points from the previous week. The negative evaluation rose by 2.3 percentage points to 32.3%.

The survey was conducted via wireless automated telephone response. The sampling error is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level for the presidential approval survey, and ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level for the party support survey. The response rate was 5.2%. For more details, refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.