Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Moon strengthens presence near end of presidency
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with provincial governors and mayors in Sejong, Thursday. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Moon Jae-in has been strengthening his presence recently by making influential comments on a number of key political issues, which is rarely seen by a Korean president who is nearing the end of his single, five-year term.
In the first half of this year, the President's influence appeared to be weakening, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) opposed a number of aides and ministers nominated by Moon.
However, the situation appears to have reversed in recent months, as Moon is enhancing his grip on state affairs based on a near 40 percent job approval rating. The DPK and opposition parties are displaying keen reactions to the President's messages on issues including a media law revision, the Seongnam land development scandal and a meeting with DPK presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, Sunday, the office is scheduling a meeting between Moon and DPK candidate and Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung. Lee requested the meeting with Moon.
The two had a brief encounter on Thursday during a meeting between the President and provincial governors and mayors, and Moon congratulated Lee for being selected as the DPK's presidential candidate.
Pundits said the one-on-one meeting is significant because Moon still wields considerable influence within the DPK. Lee, who locked horns with Moon in the DPK primary during the 2017 presidential election, is widely viewed as being among the anti-Moon factions within the ruling party. As a result, Lee needs Moon's support to have the DPK unite behind him ahead of the March election.
This appears to contrast with the situation months earlier. In May and June, the DPK clashed with the presidential office over Moon's selection of aides and ministers who were embroiled in real estate controversies.
Cheong Wa Dae eventually accepted the DPK's demand to drop one of the minister nominees. The move was widely viewed as the party gaining greater influence than the presidential office on state affairs as well as the start of the President's lame-duck status.
However, Moon reversed the situation by reining in the DPK's attempt to pass a revision to the Act on Press Arbitration, which drew concerns from not only domestic media outlets but also international press organizations over potential restraints on press freedom.
Moon said in a press conference on Sept. 23 that the revision seemed to be “worrisome” and called for a “thorough review,” which resulted in the DPK announcing Sept. 29 that it would not push through the passage of the revised bill, but have more discussions with opposition parties until the end of the year.
President Moon Jae-in listens to a presentation during his meeting with provincial governors and mayors in Sejong, Thursday. On the right is Gyeonggi Province Governor and ruling Democratic Party of Korea presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. Yonhap
Moon also strengthened his presence with his Oct. 12 demand for “a swift and thorough investigation by the prosecution and police” on the land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has claimed that DPK candidate Lee, who was mayor of the city in 2015 when the development project was initiated, is linked to the scandal, calling for a special independent counsel to investigate him.
Sources said a number of presidential aides advised Moon not to comment on the scandal because the opposition could claim he was meddling in the presidential election. But Moon treated the matter as “real estate speculation,” which the administration has been battling.
The comment immediately drew criticism from the PPP that the President virtually rejected its call for a special counsel's probe. “His call for a thorough probe by the prosecution and police is a public declaration of rejecting a special counsel investigation into the land project,” PPP floor leader Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon said in a briefing on Oct. 13.
“Though it is the end stage of his presidency, Moon is still maintaining his presence in political affairs,” an official at the ruling bloc said. “The President and Cheong Wa Dae are making efforts to distance themselves from the presidential election, and the high support rate for Moon is helping him remain influential.”
According to Gallup Korea, Moon's approval rating in the second week of this month stood at 36 percent, down 1 percentage point from a week earlier. Moon's approval rating has been hovering between 35 percent and 41 percent since June.
Compared to previous presidents, Moon is maintaining a high rate of support in the fifth and final year of the presidency. Moon's average support rate in the first and second quarters of 2021, the fifth year of his presidency, stood at 35 percent and 39 percent, respectively. Those of former President Lee Myung-bak were both 25 percent and those of former President Roh Moo-hyun were 16 percent and 24 percent, respectively.