Stop the high-handed governance

Choi Hoon
The author is the chief editor of the JoongAng Ilbo.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stopped by the guest house where Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was staying and drove him to his next appointment during his four-day state visit. President Yoon arranged investment deals worth a combined 107 trillion won ($79 billion) from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar this year. He received the red-carpet treatment wherever he went overseas.

At home, his approval rating stood at a dismal 33 percent — and his disapproval rate at 58 percent — in an Oct. 24 to 26 Gallup Korea poll released shortly after he returned home from his trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Yoon is even losing favor among people in their 60s — 48 percent approval and 46 percent disapproval — although they had been largely supportive of the conservative president. He fell flat in the capital region whose vote outcome decides election results, with a positive rating of 32 percent and negative at 59 percent. In Incheon and Gyeonggi, his disapproval overwhelmed his approval, 63 percent to 28 percent.

The traditionally conservative voting bases of Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang are not safe either, with his approval rating at 42 percent and disapproval at 47 percent. Except for the marginal lead of 49 percent versus 43 percent in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, the president is losing his footing across the country. The government faces a crisis.

The president may feel underappreciated. But the reasons point to him, according to the poll results. Except for voters’ complaints about the economy, livelihood and prices (23 percent), all other factors are related to his governing style — one-way and high-handed governance (9 percent), diplomatic skills (8 percent), lack of communication (6 percent), overall disappointment (5 percent), appointment failures (4 percent) and a lack of cooperation with the opposition (4 percent.) In other words, he has been too “rough” — in other words, arrogant and stubborn.

President Yoon must see the big picture. As a former prosecutor general who spent 27 years in the top law enforcement agency, the president said he cannot cooperate with the Democratic Party (DP) when the “left wing of the bird is going backwards.” But the president does not make the right wing of a bird, because he is the head that leads the body and wings of a bird. None of the last 12 presidents of this country could end their term gracefully, as they had forgotten their responsibility to serve “all people.” The president is the leader of a democratic republic. Settling conflicts through persuasion and communication for national unity and co-existence is a duty, not a choice.

In early July, President Yoon’s approval rating hovered above 38 percent. But it changed direction as soon as he turned further to the right after declaring a war against “pro-communist and anti-state forces.” His focus on ideology when people’s livelihoods got tougher pushed a number of centrists away from him.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Oct. 30.

The president could have not faced so much trouble with the opposition if he had humbly asked for its help. The cold reaction from the voters could have gone to the mammoth opposition holding 168 seats in the 300-member legislature — and its head, Lee Jae-myung, only bent on saving his life from a plethora of judicial risks.

The president must broaden his personnel pool. The top three — the prime minister, the presidential chief of staff, and the governing People Power Party (PPP) chair — as well as most in the leadership rank came from the past conservative governments or the prosecution. The rest worked with the president on his election campaign or went to the same school. Since the president is surrounded by complacent bureaucrats, there is no challenging, creative or long-term national vision.

The Yoon administration has earned the nickname “the second term of former conservative president Lee Myung-bak” for having recycled most of the officials under him. These days, he keeps too many courtiers, or sycophants, by his side. They serve to share the president’s halo and are bound to be first to flee if the president comes under attack. No one comes forward to share the responsibility when a problem occurs. Cabinet ministers go on YouTube channels to wrangle with opposition lawmakers. They act as if they speak for justice, but they are not doing any favor for the president who would have to solely answer for the election results.

I miss friendly presidents. I cannot remember the last time the president had a candid talk with the public. His plan to improve ties with Japan through a third-party compensation package for the victims of wartime forced labor was announced in a 5,700-word press statement. The president has not personally spoken on Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge, a move unsettling 70 percent of the population, or about his bold resolve to uphold fiscal integrity through tightening policy. Regardless of the outcome, the push could prompt public resentment against his unilateral ways. The upheaval in the Middle East, the slowdown of our growth potential to the 1 percent range, and the possible return of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election next year can all build up headwinds for Korea. Yoon can deal with the challenges only when he has public confidence. He must first win back public support.