ED Lee must rebuild public trust
President Lee Jae Myung and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov pose for a commemorative photograph before their summit at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Press conference should be starting point for Lee to rebuild trust
President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating has fallen into the low 30s, according to a recent Realmeter poll. Only a few months ago, his support hovered around 60 percent.
Such a sharp decline should concern the president and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) — not simply because approval ratings measure popularity, but because public confidence provides an important foundation for effective governance.
The central responsibility rests with Lee. His early popularity was built largely on the promise of a government that would deliver results, but concerns about the stock market and housing, along with a series of controversial personnel decisions, have eroded that confidence.
The president’s frequent use of social media and highly visible, livestreamed Cabinet meetings may have been intended to strengthen communication, but they have also exposed him to criticism that he is becoming too involved in the minutiae of government.
More troubling is the growing controversy surrounding constitutional reform and the possibility of granting prosecutors broader authority to withdraw indictments. Whatever the merits of these proposals, the absence of a clear presidential position has allowed suspicions to spread that political interests may be influencing institutional and legal arrangements. The president should address these concerns directly and explain his position in terms the public can understand.
The ruling party’s handling of personnel controversies has compounded the problem. If the DPK demands the resignation of one nominee over allegations of preferential treatment while defending another candidate facing serious questions, it risks appearing to apply different standards to different people. A government committed to fairness must be prepared to subject its own nominees to the same scrutiny it demands of others.
The controversy surrounding Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister, illustrates this point. Allegations concerning his involvement in a COVID-19 treatment and the approval of its clinical trials require thorough examination. If the allegations are unfounded, the government should provide evidence to dispel them. If they are substantiated, accountability must follow. What the public should not be asked to accept is a blanket political defense of a nominee before the facts have been established.
At the same time, infighting within the ruling party is damaging public confidence. Recent clashes over prosecutorial reform and the nomination of the first head of the new Serious Crimes Investigation Agency have pitted prominent figures against one another. Internal disagreement is neither unusual nor inherently unhealthy in a governing party. But disagreements should be resolved through substantive debate, not personal attacks or inflammatory comparisons with the impeachment crisis surrounding former President Roh Moo-hyun in 2004.
Such rhetoric risks turning legitimate policy disagreements into a spectacle of factional struggle. To many voters, the conflict may look less like a debate over how the state should function and more like an early contest for political power.
Recent polling showing the DPK falling behind the opposition People Power Party in party support should therefore be treated as a warning, while recognizing that individual polls can fluctuate with timing and methodology. The broader concern is that declining support for both the president and his party could signal weakening confidence in the governing coalition.
The challenges facing the government are substantial: Housing costs, rent and tax burdens, security concerns and sweeping changes to the criminal justice system all require careful and sustained attention. The public needs competent administration, clear explanations and consistent standards — not escalating political confrontation.
Lee’s presidency is still in its early stages. There is ample time to restore confidence, but doing so will require more than a short-term effort to lift approval ratings. The president must confront public concerns over cost of living, political appointments and institutional reform with greater candor. The ruling party, for its part, must hold itself to the same standards that it applies to its political opponents.
Public trust cannot be rebuilt through rhetoric alone. It is earned through consistent decisions, accountability and restraint in the exercise of power. The latest polling numbers matter less as a verdict than as a warning. The president and his governing party should listen carefully to what they are telling them. A press conference, slated for Friday, should be the starting point for Lee to begin rebuilding public trust and gain momentum in his push for major policies.