By Kang Seung-woo
Amid declining approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in especially following public anger over property speculation scandals involving public officials, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its candidates running in next week's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections are keeping the Moon administration at arm's length, with some even criticizing its policy failures including its real estate drive.
This trend of erasing any vestiges of an unpopular state leader among the ruling side is raising speculation that they would accelerate Moon's descent into a "lame-duck" presidency after the April 7 by-elections. Moon's term is scheduled to end in May 2022.
According to a Gallup Korea survey last week, Moon's approval rating dropped to its lowest point at 34 percent, along with the highest disapproval rating at 59 percent, due mainly to his administration's poor real estate policy that has failed to curb skyrocketing housing prices across the nation.
As a result, the so-called "Moon Jae-in marketing," an election strategy used by the ruling camp in previous elections on the back of his high approval ratings, has vanished into thin air.
"We will look back on whether the government and the ruling party lived up to the public's hopes of building a better country and establishing justice and fairness in our society," Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the DPK said during a press conference, Wednesday. Lee, the first prime minister of the Moon administration, is currently co-chairing the party's election committee for the by-elections.
Park Young-sun, the DPK candidate running for Seoul mayor, also admitted during the first televised debate with Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) that the Moon administration's real estate policy was not satisfactory.
In addition, when Park is on the campaign trail, she does not wear clothes that display the party's name, and she refrains from mentioning President Moon.
Plus, the election brochures of Park and Kim Young-choon, the DPK candidate for the Busan mayoral by-election, have not been featuring photos of themselves with Moon despite both serving on Moon's Cabinet ― Park had been SMEs minister, while Kim served as maritime minister. In contrast, in the 2018 local elections and 2020 general election, DPK candidates were seen as riding on the President's coattails.
This shift in campaign style comes as the DPK candidates are trailing their PPP rivals by a wide margin in most public polls, leading the DPK to scramble to stress that the by-elections should not be considered a referendum on the Moon administration's handling of state affairs.
The main opposition has offered a charged response to the DPK, saying the ruling party was once proud of having Moon as President amid his soaring approval ratings, but is now breaking away from him.
"Signs of Moon's lame-duck presidency have already appeared in Park," PPP spokesman Rep. Bae June-young said.
Hangil Research director and political analyst Hong Hyeong-sik said, "As more people disapprove of the job President Moon is doing, the DPK has no choice but to distance itself from him during the campaign.
"Given that a 30 percent approval rating is the Maginot Line for a lame duck, Moon is now nearing it," he said.
Amid declining approval ratings for President Moon Jae-in especially following public anger over property speculation scandals involving public officials, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and its candidates running in next week's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections are keeping the Moon administration at arm's length, with some even criticizing its policy failures including its real estate drive.
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| Park Young-sun, right, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul's mayoral by-election, poses for a selfie with a voter while campaigning at Hapjeong Station on Seoul Metro lines 2 and 6, Thursday. Yonhap |
According to a Gallup Korea survey last week, Moon's approval rating dropped to its lowest point at 34 percent, along with the highest disapproval rating at 59 percent, due mainly to his administration's poor real estate policy that has failed to curb skyrocketing housing prices across the nation.
As a result, the so-called "Moon Jae-in marketing," an election strategy used by the ruling camp in previous elections on the back of his high approval ratings, has vanished into thin air.
"We will look back on whether the government and the ruling party lived up to the public's hopes of building a better country and establishing justice and fairness in our society," Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the DPK said during a press conference, Wednesday. Lee, the first prime minister of the Moon administration, is currently co-chairing the party's election committee for the by-elections.
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| Rep. Lee Nak-yon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, center, bows after a press conference at the National Assembly, Seoul, Wednesday. He said his party would look back on their policies and activities that may have failed to meet public desire to build a better country. Yonhap |
Park Young-sun, the DPK candidate running for Seoul mayor, also admitted during the first televised debate with Oh Se-hoon of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) that the Moon administration's real estate policy was not satisfactory.
In addition, when Park is on the campaign trail, she does not wear clothes that display the party's name, and she refrains from mentioning President Moon.
Plus, the election brochures of Park and Kim Young-choon, the DPK candidate for the Busan mayoral by-election, have not been featuring photos of themselves with Moon despite both serving on Moon's Cabinet ― Park had been SMEs minister, while Kim served as maritime minister. In contrast, in the 2018 local elections and 2020 general election, DPK candidates were seen as riding on the President's coattails.
This shift in campaign style comes as the DPK candidates are trailing their PPP rivals by a wide margin in most public polls, leading the DPK to scramble to stress that the by-elections should not be considered a referendum on the Moon administration's handling of state affairs.
The main opposition has offered a charged response to the DPK, saying the ruling party was once proud of having Moon as President amid his soaring approval ratings, but is now breaking away from him.
"Signs of Moon's lame-duck presidency have already appeared in Park," PPP spokesman Rep. Bae June-young said.
Hangil Research director and political analyst Hong Hyeong-sik said, "As more people disapprove of the job President Moon is doing, the DPK has no choice but to distance itself from him during the campaign.
"Given that a 30 percent approval rating is the Maginot Line for a lame duck, Moon is now nearing it," he said.
