Lee Jae-myung's Approval Rating Barely Holds 30s as Honam Public Sentiment Shifts

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's approval rating recently recorded 40.2% in a Realmeter survey, indicating it is on the verge of falling into the 30s. Daily surveys have already shown it entering the 30s, confirming a clear downward trend. Lee Jun-woo, spokesperson, emphasized the seriousness of the current approval rating situation, stating, "It has fallen to a precarious 40.2%, just before dropping to 30%." Experts warn that a drop to the mid-30s could accelerate a 'lame duck' period.

Lee Jae-myung's approval rating in the Honam region plummeted from 76.9% to 55.7%, a massive drop of 21.2 percentage points, indicating a deepening exodus of core supporters. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo expressed concern, mentioning, "Last week it was 76.9, but this time it fell by a significant 21.2 percentage points to 55.7." This shift in Honam public sentiment is attributed to a combination of factors, including conflicts during the nomination process for Supreme Council member Kim Min-seok and controversies over proxy voting in Honam. Specifically, feelings of marginalization in the Jeonbuk region and doubts about the effectiveness of attracting a Honam semiconductor cluster also appear to have contributed to the decline. Lee Jun-woo predicted that this phenomenon would be a significant burden on the Democratic Party's future political trajectory.

Controversy has arisen after Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung reportedly blocked a party member on social media following an argument. A party member had an online debate with Lee Jae-myung regarding real estate policy, but Lee allegedly blocked the member's SNS account. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo pointed out, "They had an argument with Lee Jae-myung on SNS regarding real estate policy, but Lee blocked them." He criticized this communication style, warning it could foster an image of an 'uncommunicative president'.

A constitutional amendment to change the presidential term to a four-year, two-term system is supported by 50.9% of the public. However, public opposition to retroactively applying the amendment to the current president was overwhelmingly high. 61.7% of respondents opposed retroactive application to the incumbent president, with a strong resistance expected as 52.8% expressed 'strong opposition'. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo noted, "When asked about changing the presidential term system to a four-year, two-term system, 50.9% (a majority) were in favor," but emphasized the severity of public opposition to retroactive application.

Strong rejection from the 2030 generation has been confirmed regarding a constitutional amendment that would allow Lee Jae-myung's potential re-election. Among those aged 18 to 29, 68.7% opposed it, and among those in their 30s, 58.3% expressed opposition. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "68.7% of 18-to-29-year-olds opposed it. In their 30s, 58.3% opposed it," analyzing the serious departure of younger generations. This opposition from the 2030 generation raises concerns about severe negative impacts on future general election strategies.

The 90-degree bowing practice by some Democratic Party lawmakers has become a subject of controversy. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo criticized this greeting as similar to bows performed before Kim Il-sung's statue in North Korea or to gangster culture. He stated, "I even thought of North Korea. Bowing 90 degrees in front of Kim Il-sung's statue. To that extent, in North Korea, a 90-degree bow is a greeting for a dictator they revere, and I cannot understand why it is appearing here now," expressing strong aversion. Criticism was also raised regarding Supreme Council member Kim Min-seok's rhetoric, which shifted blame for the controversy to Public Relations Committee Chairman Kim Nam-jun.

The Democratic Party's 'dress code innovation' policy is being strongly criticized for its lack of specific explanations and a strong emphasis on dress control. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo pointed out that the meaning of 'innovation' is unclear when dark suits for men are already standardized. He questioned, "For men, dark suits are사실 standardized, and it's hard to deviate from that. So what does it mean to innovate here?" This move towards dress code regulation has drawn mockery from netizens, with terms like 'Lee Min-bok' (Lee's people's attire), and is facing backlash.

The Democratic Party's announcement to assign party positions to all lawmakers has sparked controversy. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo questioned the effectiveness of giving party positions to all 180 members. He asked, "They say they will give party positions to all lawmakers, but is this possible? What is the point of creating party positions?" He criticized this as a leveling-down approach, not a merit-based selection, which would diminish the scarcity of party positions and trivialize their meaning.

Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Young-kyo faced criticism for attempting to attack the judiciary by mentioning grounds for impeaching Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae. Seo Young-kyo's impeachment attempt was analyzed as using customary issues in the judicial appointment process as a pretext, but Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo argued that there was insufficient basis for impeachment. He stated, "Seo Young-kyo alone is saying that the grounds for impeaching Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae are clear, and she's just talking about the timing. It's only Seo Young-kyo's own thought," dismissing Seo's claims as personal opinions.

The Democratic Party has withdrawn its call for the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and shifted its stance to demand his 'voluntary resignation'. This change appears to be based on the judgment that the grounds for impeachment were unclear and thus difficult to pursue legally. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "There's a reason why they first talked about impeachment, then put up banners saying 'step down, resign.' It's because impeachment was nonsensical, as I've said." The Democratic Party demanded Chief Justice Cho's resignation, claiming damage to judicial independence, but failed to present specific legal violations.

In relation to the Democratic Party's attempts to attack the judiciary, the 2004 case of Venezuela's Supreme Court justice expansion was mentioned, raising concerns about the judiciary being seized. At that time, Venezuela increased the number of Supreme Court justices from 20 to 32, appointing many pro-government figures, and reportedly, there was not a single ruling against the government for the next nine years. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo pointed out, "In 2004, Venezuela increased the number of Supreme Court justices from 20 to 32, filling it entirely with pro-government figures. And what happened after that? For nine years, there wasn't a single ruling against the government." He cited the book 'How Democracies Die' to issue a warning.

The indirect election method for the People Power Party's internal steering committee has been criticized for being operated formally and turning into a tool for incumbent district committee chairs to maintain their vested interests. It is alleged that the steering committee often passes important agendas by informal agreement during meals and casual conversations without proper debate or discussion. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "Do you know how the steering committee meetings are held? While eating. It's all just informal agreements. They just chat and tell funny stories, and then at the end, they just say, 'Okay, today's steering committee meeting is concluded with this,'" criticizing such practices for hindering party innovation.

Jang Dong-hyuk, interim leader of the People Power Party, expressed his intention to streamline vested interests and build a strong party by pushing for the direct election of district committee chairs. He emphasized that individuals with actual fighting ability and preparation should be granted district committee chairman status, rather than just a lawmaker's badge. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "In such situations, we clean up lawmakers who just hold their seats without making a name for themselves, and give party committee chairs and badges to those who have the will to fight, the skill to fight, and are prepared to fight, to create a strong army." He articulated a desire to break down the vested interests of veteran lawmakers who have become 'local magnates' and to achieve accountable politics through direct election by party members. This is interpreted as an effort to improve the party's constitution and secure momentum for victory in the general election.

Han Dong-hoon's fan club, 'With Hoony,' has been criticized for fomenting internal party conflict by launching a petition to sanction lawmaker Lee Jin-sook. Critics argue that external fan club intervention in internal party issues is inappropriate. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo stated, "Han Dong-hoon's fan club, With Hoony, launched a campaign to collect signatures to sanction lawmaker Lee Jin-sook." He also criticized the leadership's indifferent attitude toward such actions, raising concerns that it could infringe upon the party's autonomous deliberation and decision-making processes.

In response to Han Dong-hoon's fan club's petition to sanction lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, a counter-petition opposing the sanction of Lee Jin-sook was launched and quickly surpassed 128,150 signatures. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "The petition against sanctioning lawmaker Lee Jin-sook, which is a sanction on Jae-myung, started and immediately exceeded 100,000 signatures." He emphasized that this was a result of spontaneous citizen participation, not organized intervention. This can be interpreted as a spontaneous civic order contrasting with artificial fan club politics, indicating that party members' autonomous expression is steadily strengthening.

The direct election system for district committee chairs has been proposed as a way to implement member-centric party operation and accountable politics, in a similar vein to the 1987 direct presidential election system. It is analyzed that if party members directly elect their district committee chairs, they will feel a greater sense of responsibility for local campaign activities, and their mobilization power will also significantly change. Spokesperson Lee Jun-woo explained, "If party members elect district committee chairs with their own power, their mobilization power will change. When campaigning locally, you say, 'You elected them, so you should take responsibility.'" He emphasized that this would break down the practice of informal nominations and secure momentum for a change of government.