{"id":2201011,"date":"2023-05-15T19:35:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T10:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201011"},"modified":"2023-05-16T20:07:18","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T11:07:18","slug":"south-koreas-opposition-party-falters-despite-unpopular-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/south-koreas-opposition-party-falters-despite-unpopular-president\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea\u2019s opposition party falters, despite unpopular president"},"content":{"rendered":"
As parliamentary elections approach, lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) may have concerns about their prospects of retaking control of the National Assembly, particularly in light of President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s perpetually low approval ratings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But so far this does not mean the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) will cruise to victory, as the Democrats have seen their public support spiral downward in recent weeks. Gallup Korea <\/span>polls from the end of April<\/span><\/a> broke down approval rates for the two major parties at 37% for the DP and 32% for the PPP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Presidential approval rates play an important role in shaping party support. Yoon\u2019s approval rate at the time was 30% and the majority of respondents who negatively evaluated his job performance mentioned foreign policy as the most significant reason for their disapproval.<\/span><\/p>\n When the survey results were released, Yoon had recently concluded a series of significant international engagements. These included a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister <\/span>Fumio Kishida<\/span><\/a> in Tokyo a month prior, followed by a bilateral summit with U.S. President <\/span>Joe Biden<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The meeting with Kishida faced criticism, with detractors characterizing it as an instance of \u201c<\/span>subservient diplomacy<\/span><\/a>.\u201d The summit with Biden, meanwhile, received a <\/span>lukewarm response<\/span><\/a> from both progressive and conservative observers.<\/span><\/p>\n Since conducting that survey, Yoon had another <\/span>meeting with Kishida<\/span><\/a>, with the Japanese PM visiting Seoul this time. And despite virtually no change to Yoon\u2019s foreign policy during or afterward, <\/span>Gallup Korea<\/span><\/a> recorded a reversal in the approval ratings for left and right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The PPP now has a higher approval rating (35%) than the DP (32%). The sudden shift in the approval ratings for the parties without any apparent alterations in Yoon\u2019s foreign policy suggests that domestic considerations likely influenced these changes.<\/span><\/p>\n TROUBLE AT THE TOP<\/b><\/p>\n The DP has grappled with a series of political controversies throughout the year. One such dispute involves the party\u2019s leader Lee Jae-myung, who currently faces multiple criminal charges. In February, a closely contested parliamentary vote <\/span>prevented his arrest<\/span><\/a>, revealing that the DP is internally divided between pro- and anti-Lee factions. Lee\u2019s <\/span>pre-trial hearings<\/span><\/a> began recently.<\/span><\/p>\n In March, another wave of controversy hit when <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a> suggested DP members were contemplating the removal of <\/span>Article 80<\/span><\/a> from the party\u2019s constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n The DP <\/span>introduced<\/span><\/a> Article 80 in 2015 when Moon Jae-in was the party\u2019s leader. This provision allows the party\u2019s secretary-general to suspend the duties of party officials at all levels if they are indicted for crimes relating to bribery and the receipt of illegal political funds. It also enables the secretary-general to request an investigation by the ethics committee at all levels.<\/span><\/p>\n However, on Feb. 26, a day before the plenary vote determining Lee\u2019s fate, DP secretary-general Cho Jeong-sik <\/span>stated<\/span><\/a> at a press conference that Article 80 would not apply to Lee. Cho referred to section 3 of the article, which suggests that disciplinary actions can be reconsidered if there are unjust circumstances or reasons, such as political oppression against the indicted individual.<\/span><\/p>\n Critics have accused the DP and Lee of exploiting parliamentary laws to protect one of their own from prosecution.<\/span><\/p>\n