President’s approval rate has recovered, but majority see his criticism of broadcaster’s reporting as media suppression
Three weeks on from an underwhelming trip abroad, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the public seem to have finally put the controversy behind them. In last week’s Gallup Korea polling, Yoon’s approval rate hit 29 percent, a 5-percentage point jump from the previous week.
But this does not mean that the public has forgotten Yoon’s hot mic moment, in which he appeared to call the U.S. Congress “bastards” moments after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
In the aftermath of that incident, the administration attacked the media for releasing the video and accused them of ginning up controversy. The public is not buying it. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say Yoon’s slip of the tongue is to blame, with just 25% saying false media reports created the controversy.
In a separate poll from the National Barometer Survey released on Oct. 5, 70% said Yoon should apologize for the controversy, and 59% said the presidential office’s response — which has included filing criminal complaints against an ROK broadcaster and four journalists — was an attempt to suppress the media.
Clearly, the Yoon administration’s attempt to shift the blame was unconvincing and likely further undermined trust in the administration. Majorities of those 50 and younger disapprove of his job performance, as do a plurality of those in their 60s. And only those in their 70s and above now say Yoon is performing well as president.
Thus far in his presidency, Yoon has faced few major challenges and yet has continued to stumble through the opening months. That is about to change. North Korea has ramped up its missile testing, including conducting its longest-range test to date when it fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan.
South Korea’s response will be closely watched not only domestically but also by the other countries in the region. Its handling of the events that are soon to unfold, like a widely expected DPRK nuclear test, may set the tone for the rest of his time in office.
Edited by Bryan Betts
Three weeks on from an underwhelming trip abroad, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and the public seem to have finally put the controversy behind them. In last week’s Gallup Korea polling, Yoon’s approval rate hit 29 percent, a 5-percentage point jump from the previous week.
But this does not mean that the public has forgotten Yoon’s hot mic moment, in which he appeared to call the U.S. Congress “bastards” moments after meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden.
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