Lee Should Take Bolder Steps to Respect People's Will

The candlelit demonstrations against the Korea-U.S. beef deal are showing signs of turning into anti-government protests, throwing President Lee Myung-bak his biggest challenge since his Feb. 25 inauguration. Young students, parents, company workers, the self-employed and other citizens are releasing their pent-up anger over the administration's policy blunders and mishandling of state affairs.

There is no doubt that the protests were initially aimed at nullifying the ``unfair'' beef market accord which prompted exaggerated fears about mad cow disease from U.S. imports. The demonstrators have continued to call on the government to renegotiate the deal in a bid to ensure food safety. Ostensibly the beef issue sparked off the candlelit rallies, but an undercurrent of growing public disappointment and frustration with the Lee administration is apparently the prime cause of the protests.

Lee and his policymakers have failed to read the public sentiment against the government. They have repeated their tirade on the safety of American beef since they reached an agreement with the U.S. on April 18 to completely open the local market to American beef. It was not until May 22 that the President apologized to the nation for not properly reflecting public opinion about the mad cow scare.

But the administration could not calm the public uproar because many people saw Lee's apology as only lip service to attribute his policy failures to a ``lack of communication'' with the populace. Defying public opposition, the government has tried to press ahead with implementation of the accord. On May 29, Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun announced a decision to resume U.S. beef imports early this month. His action added fuel to the protests.

The demonstrations reached their peak over the weekend when an estimated 50,000 protestors attempted to make their way to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in central Seoul. Some of them shouted anti-government slogans calling for President Lee to step down. The demonstrators have become angrier with authorities as police used water cannons and mobilized special teams to disperse the crowd near the presidential office. Now, the rallies are spreading to other cities, including the southeastern port of Busan and southeastern city of Gwangju.

President Lee should realize that more and more people are turning their back against his administration. It is urgent for him to take radical action to win back the hearts and minds of the people before it is too late. A recent survey jointly conducted by the Chosun Ilbo, one of the leading Korean dailies, and Gallup Korea showed that Lee's approval rating had nose-dived to 21.2 percent from 52 percent in early March. And 21.3 percent of the respondents said they do not back Lee because they believe he refuses to listen to people.

According to the poll, 16.2 percent withheld their support for the President due to soaring consumer prices which they claim are deepening their financial hardship. Only 8 percent cited the beef issue as the reason behind their disapproval with the President. Marking his 100th day in office Tuesday, Lee plans to announce measures to ease the public backlash. The steps might include the sacking of some ministers and secretaries who are held responsible for the beef row and other policy blunders. However, it remains to be seen if such action will be enough to help Lee regain public trust.