President's approval rating rises as he toughens stance on labor unions

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sat, September 30, 2023 | 12:08

Politics

President's approval rating rises as he toughens stance on labor unions

Posted : 2022-12-08 18:41

Updated : 2022-12-08 18:41

President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a ceremony to mark the 59th Day of Trade at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Dec. 5. Yonhap

Yoon to set 'laws and rules' as identity of presidency

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk-yeol's his job approval rating surpassed the 40 percent mark, in what appears to be a positive public sentiment on the government's "laws- and rules-based" hardline response against unionized truckers' strikes.

Buoyed by the result, Yoon is anticipated to set "laws and rules" as one of the core philosophies of his presidential identity during a press conference which is expected to take place in the wake of the New Year, sources at the presidential office said.

According to polling agency Opinion Research Justice, Thursday, the president's job approval rating stood at 41.5 percent in the poll surveyed 1,000 adults from Dec. 5 to 6. It is up 9.1 percentage points from the previous Nov. 21-22 survey by the pollster.

The survey was requested by news outlet Dailian, and further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission's website.

In the pollster's weekly surveys, it was the first time for Yoon's job approval rating to surpass the 40 percent mark since the July 4-5 survey.

Other recent surveys also show that Yoon's approval ratings are on an upward trajectory, and this bodes well for the presidential office, which had been struggling to jack up Yoon's dismal approval ratings in his early presidency.

"The outcome is attributable to Yoon's stance of maintaining laws- and rules-based responses to the unionized truckers' strike and affiliated strikes by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions," Opinion Research Justice CEO Seo Yo-han said.

On Nov. 29, Yoon signed an executive order forcing striking cement truck drivers of the Cargo Truckers Solidarity (CTS) back to work, saying "the strikes are dealing serious damage to the national economy" and "there will be no compromise with illegalities."

As the CTS continues resisting, Yoon ordered ministers to prepare for expanding the executive order to truckers transporting steel and oil products. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday presided over a Cabinet meeting and reviewed the additional executive orders. Yoon immediately approved it after the meeting.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Gwangju chapter stage a sit-in protest in front of the ruling People Power Party's Gwangju headquarters, Dec. 6, as part of their show of support for unionized truckers' nationwide strike. Yonhap

The presidential office is interpreting the rising approval rating following the hardline approach as the reason why Yoon was able to take the office in the March 9 presidential election and how his administration should style itself.

"Yoon could take the office because his philosophy of being loyal to laws and the Constitution appealed to the public," an official at the presidential office said. "The recent responses to the CTS' illegal refusal to transport cargo are reminding the people of who Yoon was and why they voted for him."

Yoon, a former prosecutor general under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, made his debut in politics as the president, aided by his image as a principled prosecutor of illegalities regardless of political considerations.

Yoon was one of the heads of a special investigation team on former President Park Geun-hye, who was impeached due to a corruption and influence peddling scandal. Recognizing his ability, Park's successor, Moon, named him as the prosecutor general, but Yoon locked horns with Moon while investigating the corruption scandal of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

Sources at the presidential office said they are preparing the New Year press conference in a way that Yoon can suggest values that the government will pursue during his presidency, and his philosophy on "laws and rules" will be one of those values.

"In the first seven months of Yoon's presidency, the presidential office saw minor controversies overshadowing the broad policy direction that the government should pursue," another official at the office said. "We are seeking to suggest visions and values that the Yoon administration will pursue in the next four years during the press conference. Though the actual expression may become different, but Yoon's spirit of enshrining laws and rules will likely be reflected as we suggest the identity of his presidency."

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr