"Thank You, Cho Kuk. Welcome, Cho Kuk"
President Lee's Approval Rating Plummets After Liberation Day Pardons
Gap Between Ruling and Opposition Parties Narrows Sharply
Ahn Cheolsoo: "Cho Kuk's Attention-Seeking Draws Public Disapproval"
People
Ahn Cheolsoo, a lawmaker running for the People Power Party leadership, addressed Cho Kuk, the former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party who was recently granted a special Liberation Day pardon and reinstatement, saying on the 18th, "I welcome the main contributor to President Lee Jaemyung's 12.2 percentage point drop in approval over the past two weeks," and added, "Thank you, Cho Kuk, welcome, Cho Kuk."
Ahn Cheolsoo, a candidate running for the People Power Party leadership election, is speaking at the second television debate held at KBS in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 17th. Photo by Yonhap News
On his social media Facebook account that day, Ahn stated, "According to Realmeter today, President Lee Jaemyung's 50% approval rating is on the verge of collapsing," and pointed out, "On a daily basis, the approval rating already fell below the majority to 48.3% on August 14, which is lower than his presidential election vote share."
He continued, "The gap in approval ratings between our party and the Democratic Party has also nearly disappeared," and explained, "The sharp drop in President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating was significantly influenced by the August 15 Liberation Day pardons of Cho Kuk and Yoon Meehyang. This is the true sentiment of the people."
Ahn also stated, "Immediately after his pardon, former leader Cho Kuk resumed his social media activity, gave interviews to pro-Lee Jaemyung newspapers, and even appeared on Kim Eo-jun's broadcast, claiming he cares more about public opinion than Lee Jaemyung's inner circle," and added, "This unrestrained display of Cho's attention-seeking instincts is causing public disapproval. If he teams up with Yoon Meehyang, the approval ratings will plummet."
Ahn further said, "Former leader Cho Kuk is playing the role of an 'X-man,' thoroughly exposing the true nature of the Lee Jaemyung administration," and added, "I hope he continues to work even harder, more passionately, and more widely across the country, becoming the vanguard of a second consecutive regime change."
Former leader Cho Kuk was sentenced to two years in prison last December after being found guilty of charges including admissions fraud involving his children and covering up a Blue House inspection. However, he was released around midnight on August 15 after about eight months in prison, thanks to the Liberation Day special pardon.
According to a Realmeter poll commissioned by Energy Economy and conducted from August 11 to 14 among 2,003 adults aged 18 or older nationwide (with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level), the positive approval rating for President Lee was 51.1%, down 5.4 percentage points from the previous week. In terms of party support, the Democratic Party fell to 39.9%, while the People Power Party rose 6.4 percentage points from the previous week to reach 36.7%.
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