Former prosecutor general losing luster in presidential race

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who declared his presidential bid in late June, speaks during a discussion with workers of startup companies held at startup hub TIPS Town in Seoul's Gangnam District, July 8. Joint Press Corps

Yoon's support rate falls below 30% for 1st time in 4 months

By Jung Da-min

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a leading presidential hopeful of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during an appearance on a radio show by local broadcaster CBS, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who has been a leading presidential hopeful since he resigned from his post in March, has been losing luster in the race in recent weeks. Recent polls of potential presidential candidates showed that Yoon's popularity has been declining, with him losing out to Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, a leading hopeful of the ruling liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), in a hypothetical two-way race.

In a poll of 1,001 adults conducted from Saturday to Monday by pollster Hangil Research, 43.9 percent of respondents said they would vote for Lee in a hypothetical one-on-one competition, while 36 percent said they supported Yoon. In a hypothetical one-on-one competition between Yoon and Rep. Lee Nak-yon, former chairman of the DPK, Yoon received 36.7 percent, ahead of Lee who garnered 31.7 percent.

Rep. Lee Nak-yon, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and now one of the party's presidential hopefuls, speaks during a press conference to present policy promise on women's security, at the National Assembly in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap

But in another poll of 1,011 adults conducted Saturday and Sunday by WinGKorea, former DPK Chairman Lee won support of 43.7 percent, beating out Yoon who received 41.2 percent.

Although Yoon was still ahead of the Gyeonggi governor and former DPK chairman in favorability polls of all potential contenders, the gap between him and the runner-up has been narrowing, demonstrating his declining popularity.

In a poll of 2,036 adults conducted from Monday to Tuesday by pollster Realmeter, Yoon won with 27.8 percent, down 4.5 percentage points from three weeks earlier. He was followed by Governor Lee with 26.4 percent, up 3.6 percentage points, and former DPK Chairman Lee, who received 15.6 percent, up 7.2 percentage points from two weeks earlier.

It was the first time for Yoon's favorability rate to drop below 30 percent since the end of March in polls by Realmeter.

Political watchers said that Yoon's election camp failed to gain more support through his official announcement of the presidential bid June 29. The decline in the polls could have an effect on Yoon's bid, as it was his high approval rating in opinion polls that led him to enter the politics.

Critics said Yoon should deliver clearer messages and policy ideas, as his messages have only been focusing on criticizing the current Moon Jae-in government, while lacking his own political vision. They said Yoon is not meeting public expectations that after his frequent clashes with the Moon administration over prosecutorial reform, he could show an alternative form of leadership.

Regarding economic and real estate policies, considered the weakest points of the current ruling bloc after a series of failures, Yoon has only given vague messages.

Asked about raising the comprehensive real estate tax to stabilize the housing market at a June 29 press conference, Yoon said, “Raising the comprehensive real estate tax or not does not mean much. It is important to make it easier for people to acquire the type of housing they need when they need it, and at a predictable price.”

When asked about the direction of economic policy between welfare and growth, he said, “The two issues of welfare and growth need to be seen as one issue under the principle of sustainability.”

“Since announcing his presidential bid, he has not issued any messages about his political or administrative agenda and instead has only kept meeting politicians or scholars without a clear purpose, and this may have affected his support rate,” a Realmeter official said.

Meanwhile, Yoon has yet to decide whether to join the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), although he has been meeting with many of its members, including Chairman Lee Jun-seok and Rep. Kwon Young-se, head of the party's external relations council. Yoon has also been holding meetings with experts and politicians considered to be centrists, or of the liberal bloc, in a move to extend his support base. But critics said Yoon could lose both conservatives and centrists if he continues to issue vague messages without clearly making his stance known.

“Although it he is widely expected to join the PPP, he is not telling people whether he will do so or when. This may have given people the impression that he is weighing the advantages and disadvantages of doing so,” the official said.