How to avoid a path to a doom

Lee Ha-kyung

The author is a senior columnist of the JoongAng Ilbo.

The landslide defeat of the governing People Power Party (PPP) candidate in the by-election last week to elect the head of the Gangseo District in Seoul was a sober warning from the centrists, young people and the middle class who had backed President Yoon Suk Yeol and the conservative party 19 months ago. The PPP itself invited the 17-percentage-point margin in the election. Yoon pardoned Kim Tae-woo — the former head of the district who was found guilty of leaking government documents — and condoned him to run again for the same seat. But no one in the PPP protested the risky decision.

An election to pick the head of a relatively minor constituency in Seoul suddenly became a vote of confidence contest between the former presidential rivals Yoon and Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party (DP). The PPP went all out for the campaign, ensuring every key member rooted for Kim. A head of another constituency even posted on Facebook several pictures with different outfits to look as if he had frequented the campaign sites, although he went just one day. Voters vented their rage on the PPP for fooling them.

The governing front has lost the faith of voters due to its arrogant ways of governance over the last. The government’s policies to push ahead with long-delayed reforms in the labor, education and pension sectors, strengthen its alliance with the United States and mend ties with Japan were commendable.

But the government and the PPP did not fully persuade the public before any policy shift, not to mention attempting any communication with the DP. Yoon has not held any press conference since his inauguration last year, except for his signature one-way push for policies.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks before presiding over an emergency meeting at the presidential office on Oct. 11 to deal with repercussions of the Israel-Hamas war on Korea’s economy and security. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

The conservative administration repeatedly fumbled with half-baked ideas about lowering the school age to 5, extending the workweek to 69 hours and removing complicated questions in the college entrance exam. Although the prosecutor-turned-president vowed to restore fairness in society, he kept appointing unqualified people to high-level positions. A nominee to a ministerial post even walked out of a confirmation hearing as she was displeased with the grilling. That irked the voters. Because the country is a democratic republic, the power comes from the people. But the servants insulted their owners.

Yoon was a no-nonsense prosecutor who refused to be loyal to a certain person or the sitting power. As the president, he should have demanded the same conviction from his aides. But after being elected president, he refused to take advice. When his close friend gave him straight advice, he snapped at him for not being supportive. The late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun was the opposite. He frequently had an open and frank debate with his aides. Some prosecutors were rude and blunt during a dialogue with Roh, but none suffered disadvantages in appointments. Roh defended the freedom of speech, which is the heart of democracy.

Earlier President Kim Young-sam treated everyone with respect. He would heartily laugh and respond to even petty talk. His senior secretary for political affairs remembered that the late president had been astonishingly deliberate in discussing state affairs with aides, but he became a next-door neighbor-like figure when he addressed voters. Those who had been acquainted with the late president have fond memories of him for making them feel “smart.” If Yoon infused that kind of humbleness with his innocence and passion, he could surely make a better leader.

The PPP is going astray with no one taking responsibility for the election defeat. The party leadership has declined to acknowledge the bleak results of polls projecting the outcome of the next parliamentary elections in the capital region. Since key party members’ constituencies are safe in the traditional conservative base in South and North Gyeongsang, they don’t want to lose the president’s favor to get nominations in the election. When the party sets eyes only on the Gyeongsang region and conservative voters, it could entirely lose the capital region and centrist voters. The government will become not just a lame duck during the remaining term.

Yoon stressed it’s important to learn a lesson from the by-election outcome to pursue changes in a “calm and wise” manner. But there’s no sense of desperation for change or reform. He could become a “naked king” if he disallows internal criticism and frank talk and keeps fawning.

But if the president chooses to change his governance style, the by-election defeat can be a blessing in disguise. He should be a leader of practicality, not ideology, by prioritizing the interest of people and the economy.

He must be humble to pay heed to the toughness of the everyday life. When he comes down from the high horse, internal unity will follow naturally. The conservative party can also win the parliamentary election against the opposition behemoth stuck in internal turmoil over the freakish leader.

The president’s time passes like lightning. During his late years, King Solomon, the wisest man on Earth, moaned, “Meaningless, meaningless, everything is utterly meaningless.” Yoon must always check himself to keep his eyes only on the people so as not to be intoxicated by the ephemeral power.