New surveys show that the approval rating of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) surpassed that of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) for the first time in a year.
According to results of a joint survey conducted by Embrain, Kstat, Korea Research, and Hankook Research, which was released on June 10, the approval rating of the DP dropped four percentage points from the 31 percent recorded last week to 27 percent this week. The figure for the PPP, on the other hand, rose 2 percentage points to hit 30 percent. It was followed by the People’s Party (5 percent), Justice Party (4 percent), and Open Democratic Party (3 percent). Among liberals, 53 percent supported the DP and 61 percent of conservatives supported the PPP. Among those who say they are neutral, the party approval rating was split evenly at 26 percent.
Researchers who participated in the study said that the so-called “Lee Jun-seok effect,” former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl’s apparent bid for the presidential election, the DP lawmakers’ real estate speculation, and controversy surrounding former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s memoir affected the latest change in political trends.
Lee Jun-seok, a 36-year-old former member of the PPP’s Supreme Council who has never won a seat in the National Assembly, has been at the forefront of the new wave and is the strongest candidate to be the party’s next leader.
He is running against veteran politicians in the PPP leadership election, including former PPP floor leader Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker, and current floor leader Joo Ho-young, a five-term assemblyman. The latest polls show that he is outpacing Na, his closest rival, by more than 20 percentage points. The outcome of the party’s election is expected to be announced on Friday. Many political commentators believe that the phenomenon reflects a strong desire for change in Korean politics among voters who feel that they had enough with the old guard.
Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl is now receiving the most media attention among potential presidential candidates. He has not yet announced which party he will join or whether he will run in the presidential election. However, he is considered the top potential conservative presidential candidate. Yoon is leading all rival presidential hopefuls from the DP, the latest opinion poll from Realmeter showed on June 10. The poll showed support for Yoon was at 35.1 percent, 12 percentage points ahead of Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung with 23.1 percent. Lee Nak-yon, a lawmaker from the DP and former prime minister under the Moon Jae-in administration, received 9.7 percent.
“I think that media reports on Yoon focusing on national security and patriotism, including the latest visit to Seoul National Cemetery and meeting with a survivor of the Navy warship Cheonan, were reflected on the survey,” said Bae Chul-ho, a researcher at Realmeter. He added that as Yoon’s public activities expand, there will be more room for people to examine who he really is.
As South Korea celebrated its Memorial Day on June 6, Yoon met with the leader of a group of survivors of North Korea’s sinking of the ROK Navy warship, Cheonan. Yoon reportedly said that “the people who spread strange stories about the Cheonan, (and) mock and ignore our fallen soldiers are those who threaten the fundamental root of the country and those who delude the world and deceive the people.”
He also stated, “I will make a country where people who sacrificed for our country are not enraged” during his visit to Seoul National Cemetery. Officials from the DP have attacked Yoon’s latest actions and pointed out the fact that he did not complete his mandatory military service due to problems with his vision. Some liberals argue that it does not make any sense for him to focus on national security and patriotism since he did not do his service. They also say that Yoon is just trying to appeal to the main opposition party and conservatives in South Korea.
On June 10, it was reported that the newly established Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (COI) officially began its investigation on Yoon for abusing his power while he was Prosecutor General.
Yoon faces charges of obstructing investigations of staff prosecutors who allegedly forced a businessman to give false testimony to establish a case against former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who was found guilty of bribery charges and sentenced to two years in prison. Han served as prime minister under the late President Roh Moo-hyun.
She was convicted of accepting 900 million won ($730,000) in illicit political funds from Han Man-ho, the late CEO of Hanshin Kunyoung Engineering & Construction, while in office. The PPP was opposed to the establishment of the COI at the first place, arguing that it can be abused by the ruling power to oppress political opponents. The party said that the latest case involving Yoon clearly shows that the COI is doing exactly what they were worried about. The COI has a right to investigate senior officials who left office. Some people also questioned the timing of the announcement by the COI of its investigation of Yoon, as civic groups filed complaints in February and March.
One of the other key political issues is the latest investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission that found that 12 DP members were suspected of violating the law on real estate trade. The investigation damaged the incumbent administration and the ruling DP’s reputation for moral rectitude.
The DP told the 12 lawmakers to voluntarily leave the party. However, with some of those identified by the commission protesting their innocence, the DP has said that it is asking individuals to put the party first and return later if their names are cleared.
The PPP is also asking the commission to conduct a probe of its lawmakers’ real estate-related affairs. It first asked the Board of Audit and Inspections to conduct a probe, arguing that it can investigate independently. The Board of Audit rejected the request saying it is not under an obligation or the PPP’s jurisdiction. The DP argued that the PPP was trying to find a way to hide their own wrongdoing by first approaching to the Board of Audit instead of the COI. The PPP said the reason they did not go to the commission first was because many of its members are from the ruling party’s faction
Researchers who participated in the latest study also said that former Justice Minister Cho Kuk’s memoir had an impact on public sentiment. Recently, Cho published his memoir, and it was reported that more than 100,000 copies were sold in a day. The leader of the DP apologized for having caused disappointment over the school admission fraud that Cho is suspected to have committed as the public increasingly revisits the scandal following his book’s publication.
Cho’s hardcore supporters attacked the party for apologizing for the former justice minister since they believe he was a political scapegoat at that time. More than 200,000 copies of Cho’s memoir were sold within 2 weeks, and it is a No. 1 bestseller in South Korea. Conservatives are attacking Cho, calling him shameless and unrepentant over the scandal.
Cho’s wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was convicted last year on seven counts of admission fraud related to her children. Her convictions include forging an award and obtaining fake internship certificates. She was ordered to serve four years in prison. Cho was also indicted on charges of colluding with his wife to unlawfully help their children get into prestigious colleges and graduate schools. His trial is still ongoing.
