Moon's approval rating hits record low amid virus resurgence

President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior aides, at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap

'Promoting K-quarantine' may backfire for President

By Do Je-hae

President Moon Jae-in's popularity is faltering in line with the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, with his job approval rating on a downward spiral following the mishandling of a series of state affairs, including botched real estate policies and a feud between Justice minister Choo Mi-ae and top prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl.

This is dealing a fatal blow to Moon and his administration as he has relied heavily on the government's handling of COVID-19 as the backbone for his support at the beginning of the year, when the nation was lauded in the global media for its exceptional response to the pandemic.

The sweeping victory of his Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) in the April general election was also on the back of the strong coronavirus response from the administration. Moon's support rate even rose to 71 percent in early May according to Gallup Korea.

However, the COVID-19 surge in recent weeks has dampened public trust in President Moon, according to the latest surveys.

A Realmeter poll published Monday showed that Moon's job approval rating was 36.7 percent, another record low for the President after his support rating plummeted below the 40 percent mark last week for the first time since his taking office in May 2017.

Realmeter highlighted the resurgence of COVID-19 and the government's seemingly lax vaccination plan compared to other countries as one of the biggest reasons for the continued downward trend in Moon's support.

Despite the public's growing indignation over the current mishandling of COVID-19 issues, Moon has continued to make remarks that are seen as trumpeting his government's relevant accomplishments.

“So far, we have done our best, both the people and the medical community, and we have been proud of the world's assessment of being a model quarantine country. If we're truly a model quarantine country, now is the time to prove it,” Moon said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Sunday.

Moon's mentioning of “K-quarantine” ― a term the government has used in promoting its coronavirus response ― is expected to bring down the President's support even further, according to some experts.

“President Moon benefited a lot from the COVDI-19 response, but now the pandemic is getting worse. And the bigger problem is that with the worsening of the pandemic, the economy and people's livelihoods will inevitably face more hardships,” Choi Jin, director of the Institute of Presidential Leadership in Seoul, told The Korea Times. “So far, Moon's strongest pillar has been his fine response to the pandemic. But the people's trust in the COVID-19 response is shaking, so it is now emerging as an important negative factor in his support rating.”

Experts have pointed out that if Moon's ratings keep falling and have now entered the early 30 percent range, which could be the start of a lame duck presidency, under which it will be difficult for the President to revive any policy momentum for his core agenda issues.

Sunday was the second time for Moon to preside over a government meeting on COVID-19 since February, when the nation also faced a similar coronavirus surge, with more than 800 cases being confirmed daily. On the day of the meeting, it was announced more than 1,000 new cases had been reported the previous day, putting the government under growing pressure from the public to raise its social distancing measures to level 3, which would mean a virtual lockdown.

But the government has been slow to respond to such calls due to concerns about the economic impact this would have, particularly on small business owners who are already reeling from the impact of the pandemic.