Do Je-hae edits news stories as part of the AI team.
Specter of lame duck looms over President Moon
President Moon Jae-in arrives at a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. / Yonhap
By Do Je-hae
Moon apologizes for Choo-Yoon conflict amid record low approval rating
By Do Je-hae
President Moon Jae-in faces multiple, months-long issues that have been preventing him from moving forward with state affairs ― housing prices that never go down despite dozens of government measures, the ongoing conflict between Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl over prosecutorial reform, and the year-long COVID-19 pandemic that is now resurging.
These are pulling down the job approval rating for the President, with some cautiously saying this could be the signal for a lame duck presidency.
On Monday, a Realmeter survey showed that the President's job approval rating dropped to a record low 37.4 percent, a 6.4 percentage points drop from the previous week, while support for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) also dropped to 29.7 percent.
The pollster said one of the biggest reasons for the increasing loss of support for Moon was the prolonged conflict between Choo and Yoon, who is facing a ministerial disciplinary committee Dec. 10 regarding allegations of misconduct and interference in sensitive cases. In addition, the economic policy failures, particularly with housing prices, and the Moon administration's ineffective response to the recent COVID-19 surge are also seen as aggravating public sentiment.
The continued downward trend in public support has alarmed Cheong Wa Dae, which abruptly announced the replacement of controversial Land Minister Kim Hyun-mee and three other ministers Dec. 4.
But many say the reshuffle was insufficient to turn the trend upward, and the biggest question in the political community is whether the President's struggle with low support translates to the arrival of a lame-duck presidency. Moon enters the final phase of his five-year presidency in 2021.
Some experts said that recent dip in the ratings could be seen as the beginning of a lame-duck period.
“Generally speaking, three things need to happen when defining a lame duck,” Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, told The Korea Times. “First, the negative assessment on the President is higher than the positive; second, the opposition's support rating is higher than that of the ruling party; and third, the ruling party's approval rating is higher than that of the President's. The first two have happened, but not the third just yet.
“In other words, in order to fulfill the conditions for a lame duck, the President's rating should be lower than the ruling party, but his rating is still higher at the moment. Therefore, it could be said that the current situation can be seen as the entry into a lame duck period.”
Some experts say a lame-duck presidency will be accelerated because there are more factors that could hurt the public's assessment of the President rather than those that can improve it.
“A lame-duck presidency is when 20-percent support rating occurs. In the early 30 percent range, there is a real danger of entering a lame-duck presidency,” said Choi Jin, director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership.
“The Choo-Yoon conflict will not end soon and the President will continue to struggle with the economy, particularly with improving the peoples' livelihoods, amid the worsening COVID-19 situation, in addition to the people's discontent with housing issues.
“So the prospects are not very positive to turn around public sentiment significantly. He is even losing support in his biggest stronghold, the Jeolla region.”
Public sentiment has worsened because Moon has kept silent about the Choo-Yoon conflict while the tension escalated. On Monday, Moon finally apologized after weeks of criticism about him evading responsibility.
“As President, I am very sorry that the chaotic political situation is causing concern to the people at a time when we need to concentrate on quarantine and public welfare,” Moon said during a meeting with his senior aides.
But he implied his support for Choo's drive to reform “power institutions,” such as the police, prosecution and the National Intelligence Service, by saying, “I hope this will be the last pain for democracy and reform. … If the problem is solved through a democratic procedure and process, the nation's democracy will be solidified.”
He also expressed hope that the National Assembly would pass relevant reform bills to establish the Corruption Investigation Office of High-Ranking Officials, over which the ruling and opposition parties are at odds.