hankyoreh

President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea talks with the press during a doorstop interview on his way into the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, on Nov. 11. (presidential office pool photo)

On May 10, President Yoon Suk-yeol ended his inaugural address with these words.

“I solemnly pledge today that I will do my utmost to elevate Korea into a country that truly belongs to the people. A country based on the pillars of freedom, human rights, fairness and solidarity; a country that is respected by others around the world. Let us embark on this journey together.”

It has been six months since Yoon took office as president of South Korea. So, readers, what do you think? Is this country setting out to be a country “that truly belongs to the people” and that is “respected by others around the world” as promised?

I myself believe that Korea isn’t headed in the direction of belonging to the people, but instead a country in which only the elite who took the bar exam are the true masters.” The elite in question are Yoon, Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and many other figures from legal circles who now hold key posts in the presidential office and the administration.

Instead of a country that is “respected by others around the world,” it has become “the international community’s laughingstock.” This is due to Yoon’s big mouth and the deadly disaster in Itaewon.

His term in office started on a promising foot. He deserves some credit for at least two things.

Firstly, the relocation of the presidential office.

Yoon relocated the presidential office from the Blue House to Yongsan District in Seoul. If it had not been for Yoon’s trademark determination and tenacity, that would not have happened. Most of the public was opposed to the move and there is still a lot of controversy surrounding the issue. I, however, am one of those who think that this was a good thing. The Blue House was a place that signified Korea’s imperial presidency. The relocation of the presidential office may mean that South Korea’s authoritarian era is over. No matter who becomes the next president, they will not be able to go back to the Blue House.

Secondly, coming out victorious in the June 1 local elections.

The People Power Party (PPP) succeeded in picking up 12 of the 17 metropolises and provinces. It defended the mayoral positions of Seoul and Busan, and replaced city mayors of Incheon, Daejeon, Sejong and Ulsan as well as provincial governors of Gangwon, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong. Out of the 226 elections for local government heads, the PPP won in 145. It won five out of seven parliamentary by-elections.

The PPP’s success in the elections proved a political victory for Yoon. Winning elections is proof of good politics.

But the list ends there. Yoon has done more wrong than right in his six months in office.

First off is his failure in appointments.

Yoon hired countless prosecutors and people from legal circles close to him to work in the presidential office and his administration. As if that were not enough, he went on to choose Lee Myung-bak’s staff and acquaintances of first lady Kim Keon-hee. While Moon Jae-in was no saint when it came to managing appointments and personnel, Yoon seems to be worse. A failure to appoint the right people to positions of power is bound to lead directly to the failure of state affairs.

Secondly, his failure in politics.

The president is a politician. Politicians should know how to talk and make compromises with people that they don’t necessarily like. Yoon seems adamantly against meeting and talking with people who don’t tickle his fancy. He kicked out Lee Jun-seok. He’s not meeting the leader of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung. His emphasis on “stronger bipartisan cooperation that transcends camps and factions” (mentioned in Yoon’s policy speech on May 16) seems farcical.

Thirdly, his failure in risk management.

The Yoon administration failed to prevent the tragedy in Itaewon. Yet the president himself, the most powerful person in the country, is taking his anger out on the police and firefighters, attempting to pin accountability on them.

Moreover, if we look at what is happening with the Legoland ordeal and the Heungkuk Life Insurance situation, Yoon does not look like he’ll be able to head off any financial or economic crises.

What about managing risks on the Korean Peninsula? If we look at recent events, one cannot help but be afraid that war might break out any time soon. The root of all these failures is Yoon’s poor leadership as president. There are a few characteristics of Yoon’s “leadership.”

He does not think before he speaks. This is a habit of his that he’s had since he was a prosecutor. He had always toed the line with off-color remarks, but with his hot mic gaffe during his visit to the US, his foul mouth finally landed him in hot water. He does not believe in admitting his mistakes. He has yet to apologize for the hot mic gaffe. Even when referring to the Itaewon tragedy, he merely said “my heart is heavy,” which contained the smallest shred of sincerity.

Yoon holds grudges that are specific and long-lived. He banned MBC reporters from joining him on his overseas trip on the presidential jet because of their reporting on his hot mic gaffe.

He doesn’t like politicians. He thinks that lawmakers and the National Assembly are a joke. This can be seen in the way that he has asked that “people should try to think of the comprehensive situation” while defending his senior presidential secretary for press affairs, Kim Eun-hye, for writing “you’re kidding me” during an audit session.

How is the press assessing Yoon’s first six months as president? Here is a round-up of the titles of articles and columns evaluating Yoon’s six months.

“State affairs going nowhere, safety collapsing…a multifaceted crisis of leadership.” (Kyunghyang Shinmun)

“Six months promising fairness and innovation…failure to see ‘Yoon’s national goals and achievements.” (Dong-A Ilbo)

“Unexpected ills bringing the ‘Yoonomics’ brand down…Need for an emphasis on policies that will be felt by the people.” (Seoul Shinmun)

“It’s no time like now for Yoon to cooperate with other factions” (Segye Ilbo)

“The Yoon administration’s first six months…Time to reform state affairs” (Joongang Ilbo)

“Yoon loses public’s trust in his first six months in office” (The Hankyoreh)

“Disapproval for state affairs is in the 60% range…the public will not be swayed by ambiguous silence.” (Hankook Ilbo)

What do you think? Each piece’s author has aptly diagnosed both problems of Yoon and the solutions he should adhere to.

Poll numbers also show that the public has turned its back on Yoon. According to Gallup Korea’s opinion poll on May 13, just after his inauguration, his job performance approval rating was at 52%. It was high in every province except for Gwangju and Jeolla. There was a high disapproval rating from those in their 40s and 50s, but all other age groups showed many positive reviews.

Six months later, on Nov. 11, Yoon’s job performance approval rating was at 30%. Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province were the only provinces with positive evaluations, at 50% approval versus 41% disapproval. Other provinces had higher rates of disapproval. Only those in their 60s and 70s rated his job performance as positive.

A look at the changes in this six-month period by region shows that public opinion has done a complete 180 in the Seoul metropolitan area, Chungcheong area, Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province. Immediately after his inauguration, his approval rating was high, but six months later, that was no longer the case.

If we focus on age, those in the 18-29 range felt a lot more positively about Yoon, with 45% to 41% immediately after he took office. But a mere six months later has led to broad disapproval, going up to 71%. Those in their 30s also approved at a higher rate, with 54% approving and 38% disapproving in May, but six months later disapproval had reached 76%, drastically outstripping positive approval ratings. (More information can be found on the website of the National Election Deliberation Commission)

To summarize, Yoon has managed to make the youth turn right around against him, making them the ones to lead the decline in his approval ratings.

Why is this? Why has Yoon become such an unpopular president after only six months in office? I would like to point out two things.

Firstly, he has no clear goal of what he wants to do as president. Recently, Kim Min-ah, head of the Kyunghyang Shinmun’s editorial board, penned a column titled “Why did Yoon want to become president?” In it, she wrote, “It seems that Yoon’s goal was ‘to become president,’ nothing more, nothing less. It does not look like he thought very deeply about what would happen after he became president. Even the fact that power and authority always come hand in hand with responsibility seems to have gone over his head.”

There is also Shin Young-jeon’s column in the Hankyoreh: “Deep sleep, sweet dreams, and a president without dreams.”

“A president without dreams is also a problem,” Shin wrote. “Since his only dream was to become president, after he achieved that goal, he has no other dreams to dream about.”

These two columns both hit the nail on the head.

Secondly, he lacks empathy. Recall when Yoon, visiting a flooded semi-basement in which a family died, asked, “Why didn’t people evacuate in advance?”

Then, in the alley where the Itaewon disaster took place, he asked, “Did so many people really die here?”

I think it's because he is originally part of the elite, so he doesn’t feel the pain and suffering of ordinary people. But as a politician, this is a fatal flaw.

So, what can be done about all of this? President Yoon Suk-yeol is serving as the 20th president of the Republic of Korea, elected by the people.

Those who voted for him were people who thought that Yoon would set the country straight through justice and common sense, those who thought that President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party shouldn't be allowed to stay in power, and those who thought that Lee Jae-myung shouldn't become president.

We must respect the decision of the voters. Yoon still has four years and six months left in office. As long as he’s not impeached, there is no way to remove him from office. So what on earth can be done? Who can set things straight?

I believe that the so-called conservative commentators who called for Yoon to become president and PPP politicians should be held responsible.

They were the ones who made Yoon Suk-yeol, someone that had no political vetting whatsoever, presidential candidate and then even president while arguing that the Democratic Party should be stopped from securing power again.

Although it is late, I hope that, even now, these people can come forward with a spirit of atonement. I hope that Yoon will be pressured from all sides for him to become a proper president of the Republic of Korea as soon as possible. God help us if he doesn’t.

By Seong Han-yong, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]