{"id":2200850,"date":"2023-04-28T16:41:36","date_gmt":"2023-04-28T07:41:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2200850"},"modified":"2023-04-28T17:57:18","modified_gmt":"2023-04-28T08:57:18","slug":"yoons-approval-ratings-hold-steady-despite-controversy-over-japan-remarks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/04\/yoons-approval-ratings-hold-steady-despite-controversy-over-japan-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon\u2019s approval ratings hold steady despite controversy over Japan remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the days leading up to his state visit to the U.S., South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ignited a firestorm at home after his comments on Japan, made during an <\/span>interview<\/span><\/a> with <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i>, went viral in South Korea, provoking swift and predictable backlash.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yoon\u2019s most attention-grabbing remark, as reported by South Korean media outlets, was: \u201cI can\u2019t accept the notion that because of what happened 100 years ago, something is absolutely impossible [to do] and that they [Japanese] must kneel [for forgiveness] because of our history 100 years ago. And this is an issue that requires decision. \u2026 In terms of persuasion, I believe I did my best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Japan occupied the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945, and many of the two countries\u2019 historical disputes center around that period.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kang Seon-woo, the spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), <\/span>questioned<\/span><\/a> Yoon\u2019s allegiance: \u201cWhich country is President Yoon Suk-yeol the president of for him to represent Japan?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) argued that <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> mistranslated Yoon\u2019s comments. PPP senior spokesperson Yoo Sang-beom <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a> that the president\u2019s remark should have been understood to mean that Japan couldn\u2019t accept the notion that it had to continue to kneel for forgiveness for something that happened 100 years ago, not the president.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, <\/span>The Washington Post<\/span><\/i> published<\/span><\/a> Yoon\u2019s original Korean statement on social media, demonstrating that there had been no mistranslation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The controversy, including criticism from typically supportive conservative media, threatened to overshadow Yoon\u2019s trip to America and test the strength of his political base. Yet fresh polling numbers from both NBS and Gallup Korea show that his base remains steadfast and the controversy largely contained.<\/span><\/p>\n

This timing offered a rare opportunity for a relatively clean assessment of the impact of a single event on public opinion without the need to account for competing influences. Yoon\u2019s <\/span>state visit<\/span><\/a> to the U.S. had not yet begun and shouldn\u2019t be reflected in the numbers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>NBS poll<\/span><\/a> was conducted from April 24 to 26. Typically, there would be a concern that respondents on the first day of the fielding would be unaware of the comments. However, the media coverage was so broad and immediate that this concern, while still important, was limited.<\/span><\/p>\n

NBS finds that Yoon\u2019s approval rate remains steady, dropping from 34 to 32%. But that decline was within the poll\u2019s 3.1% margin of error and should be considered virtually unchanged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gallup Korea\u2019s polling<\/span><\/a> began fielding a day later from April 25 to 27, ensuring that almost all respondents would have been aware of the comments. Again, his approval rate barely budged, dropping from 31 to 30%.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering the severity of the backlash and the topic\u2019s sensitivity, this episode was an important test of President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s underlying support. Despite the challenges, his support \u2014 at just 30% \u2014 has proven unwavering and now serves as a well-established floor for his approval rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by John Lee<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the days leading up to his state visit to the U.S., South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ignited a firestorm at home after his comments on Japan, made during an interview with The Washington Post, went viral in South Korea, provoking swift and predictable backlash. Yoon\u2019s most attention-grabbing remark, as reported by South Korean media […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2200851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[27,28],"class_list":["post-2200850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-domestic-politics","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nYoon\u2019s approval ratings hold steady despite controversy over Japan remarks - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/04\/yoons-approval-ratings-hold-steady-despite-controversy-over-japan-remarks\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yoon\u2019s approval ratings hold steady despite controversy over Japan remarks - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the days leading up to his state visit to the U.S., South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ignited a firestorm at home after his comments on Japan, made during an interview with The Washington Post, went viral in South Korea, provoking swift and predictable backlash. 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