President Lee Jae-myung called a press conference of his own accord to confront the disarray in state affairs head-on, but he failed to meet the public's expectations. At the Sept. 18 news conference, held under the slogan "I Will Look More Closely at the Public's Will and the Public's Lives," Lee said, "The decline in my approval rating is entirely due to my own shortcomings," adding, "I will revive my fear of the people and approach every task more carefully, more humbly and more intensely." Lee stressed a return to his original resolve and laid out his positions across major policy issues in an effort to win back public sentiment after his approval rating fell into the 30% range, but it is hard to say he opened a path to restoring public trust.
Lee's flat declaration in his opening remarks that he has "no intention whatsoever of seeking a second term" deserves a positive assessment. By dismissing talk of consecutive terms himself, Lee has removed suspicion that a constitutional amendment would serve his own re-election, making it easier to revive debate on reforming South Korea's single-five-year-term presidential system set up in 1987. On sending troops to the Strait of Hormuz, he cited the need for military activity to protect merchant ships, crude oil shipping routes and the lives and safety of citizens, while making clear that "there will be no troop deployment that involves or intervenes in a war." The remarks showed an effort to persuade the public, aimed at heading off anxiety and avoiding economic damage.
Yet it is deeply disappointing that no responsible decisions emerged on the core issues the public had hoped for, including the withdrawal of indictments, the cabinet reshuffle and housing policy. On the controversy over the reshuffle, Lee said he "intends to review the Presidential Office's personnel vetting system again," but on whether to appoint Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won — a choice at odds with public sentiment — he offered only a noncommittal stance, saying he would "decide carefully, taking public expectations into account." On the withdrawal of indictments, he went no further than asking that the clause on withdrawing existing indictments be deleted from the special counsel bill on fabricated indictments, falling short of putting the controversy to rest. Blaming housing market instability on the previous government and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and describing rising home prices on the city's outskirts as a "leveling out," is reasoning that ordinary citizens facing housing insecurity will find hard to accept. He also brushed aside the controversy over the blanket survey of farmland by saying that "those opposed to reform are powerful."
In many respects, it is hard to see this as having reached the level the public expected. If he unilaterally pushes through personnel appointments that most citizens oppose and policies that make life harder for them, the sincerity of his pledge to "look closely at the public's will" is bound to be questioned. How can he become a "president for everyone" who unites the nation while using the divisive language of "we are all pro-Moon, pro-Roh, pro-Kim Dae-jung and comrades of Lee Jae-myung" to sort people into allies and opponents? In a Gallup Korea poll released that day, Lee's approval rating stood at 37%, the lowest since he took office. This is a critical juncture as the economy and national security undergo a major transition. To avoid further weakening of leadership and the instability in governance that would follow, a shift in policy direction in line with public sentiment must follow.
