{"id":2199043,"date":"2022-09-27T03:57:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T03:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199043"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:11:32","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:11:32","slug":"yoon-suk-yeols-foreign-misadventures-trigger-another-ratings-downturn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/09\/yoon-suk-yeols-foreign-misadventures-trigger-another-ratings-downturn\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s foreign misadventures trigger another ratings downturn"},"content":{"rendered":"
When presidents go abroad, they do so expecting to return home with accomplishments to tout domestically. Yoon Seok-yeol likely had similar expectations when he left for a trip that would take him to London, New York and Ottawa.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But instead of announcing its achievements, the administration spent much of the last week contorting itself to defend his actions and remarks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To quickly recap: Yoon arrived in London to attend Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s funeral only to promptly <\/span>miss the casket viewing<\/span><\/a> due to what his office said was heavy traffic. That did not seem to be a problem for every other world leader in attendance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He then went to New York to address the U.N. The speech was <\/span>one of the shortest<\/span><\/a> of the session and was most memorable for just how <\/span>unremarkable<\/span><\/a> it was.<\/span><\/p>\n And then came the <\/span>pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance:<\/span>\u00a0Yoon was caught on a hot mic allegedly calling the <\/span>U.S. Congress \u201cbastards.\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The video quickly went viral, sparking a sharp decline in his approval rate. In Gallup Korea polling, his approval rate fell from 33% <\/span>to 28%<\/span><\/a>. This is not the lowest mark of his presidency. That came in the first week of August when his approval rate fell to <\/span>24%<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the most significant decline came among Yoon\u2019s strongest supporters \u2014 those in their 70s and older \u2014 as their approval of the president dropped 14 percentage points from 62% to 48%. Moreover, majorities in all regions once again disapprove of his job performance. This includes Daegu (52%) and Busan (58%) \u2014 areas that are normally conservative strongholds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Worse results are likely on the way. First, the timing of last week\u2019s Gallup Korea results do not fully reflect the impact of the hot mic moment. The survey was fielded from Sept. 20-22, but Yoon’s comment only first started to spread widely on the <\/span>morning of Sept. 22<\/span><\/a>. That means at least two-thirds of those surveyed had not heard of the comment or the subsequent media storm when responding.<\/span><\/p>\n Second, the administration has gone out of its way to ensure the controversy drags on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Administration officials initially denied that Yoon was referring to the U.S. Congress, stating that he was rather <\/span>calling<\/span><\/a> the South Korean National Assembly \u201cbastards. Then Yoon\u2019s office targeted the broadcaster for airing a clip that it claimed damaged the \u201c<\/span>national interest<\/span><\/a>\u201d and the U.S-ROK alliance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This has virtually ensured that the debacle remains a national focus for a second straight week, likely further dragging down his approval rates. While a 24% approval rate appears to be Yoon\u2019s floor, that number may be approached and perhaps breached when this week\u2019s results are released on Friday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Edited by Bryan Betts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n