Lee Jae-myung's Approval Rating Faces Collapse to 30%

Analysis suggests that Lee Jae-myung's approval rating is in a precarious situation in the 30% range across various polls, and it's not long before it enters the 20% range. According to a Korea Information Research poll, Lee Jae-myung's positive evaluation was only 36.5%, while his negative evaluation reached 62.0%. Notably, the weekly decline was a steep 6.8 percentage points, leading political commentators to even suggest the possibility of it entering the 20% range.

PenNMike's youth discussion program, 'Nanum Bosooda', is being lauded for opening wide the door to an era of 2030 leaders. The program garnered an enthusiastic response, recording 10,000 live viewers and 150,000 cumulative views. This showed the potential to encourage political participation among the 2030 generation and discover new leaders, while also addressing party members' longing for a change from the existing leadership-centric nomination system.

Lee Jae-neung analyzed that the success of 'Nanum Bosooda' was not due to the 'world-class abilities' of the young people, but rather the public's and party members' fundamental curiosity about the future of the conservative party. He explained that despite young people in their 20s and 30s supporting the conservative bloc, there was great anticipation regarding which of these young people would become the future of the People Power Party. There was high public expectation for the emergence of young talents who had proven their skills, rather than 'parachute' appointments during election seasons, and the program's success in allowing them to build recognition among party members and show their growth was a significant achievement.

Park Sung-jin analyzed that Lee Jae-myung's approval rating decline has not yet hit rock bottom. With two out of three citizens negatively evaluating the current government, new issues are emerging almost daily, leading to the expectation that the decline will continue without stopping.

Park Sung-jin diagnosed that the main reason for the decline in Lee Jae-myung's approval rating is his ongoing status as a defendant facing trial, despite being the president. He also pointed out that the decline, which intensified after the end of the convention effect, is deepening, and the rise in negative evaluations is exceeding the drop in approval ratings.

Lee Jae-neung criticized that local pledges, such as investing 800 trillion won in Gwangju, are not yielding practical results. He explained that despite promises of such large-scale investments, approval ratings within the Honam region have shown a declining trend, decreasing by as much as 16% and as little as 8%.

The exodus of the 4050 generation, Lee Jae-myung's core support base, has reached a serious level. In various polls, negative evaluations among those in their 40s and 50s exceed 60%, while positive evaluations have dropped to the low 40s. Lee Jae-neung stated that six out of ten people now disapprove of Lee Jae-myung. This exodus is analyzed to be directly related to the decline in their asset values (real estate, stocks).

The exodus of core supporters in their 40s and 50s and the failure of real estate policies are identified as key reasons for the decline in the Lee Jae-myung administration's approval rating. Lee Jae-neung emphasized that the collapse of support among those in their 40s and 50s signifies the collapse of the core support base. He also analyzed that negative evaluations among the 2030 generation recorded 70%, indicating deep distrust in real estate policies across all generations.

Lee Jae-neung expressed a critical view of the Lee Jae-myung administration's diplomatic stance. He voiced concerns that South Korea could be sidelined in North Korea-US dialogue with Trump, asserting that it's no exaggeration to say that Lee Jae-myung alone is undermining the nation's prestige that has been built up over time. Criticism was also raised that the administration is voluntarily inviting isolation by deviating from the path of liberal democracy.

Criticism has been raised against the Democratic Party's motion to expel Representative Lee Jin-sook, calling it an act that stifles parliamentary debate. Lee Jae-neung emphasized that a member of the National Assembly's duty is to represent the people, create discussions, and form public discourse, whether it be majority or minority opinions. He criticized the Democratic Party's behavior of problematizing debate itself as 'double standards' and recalled past controversies involving Democratic Party figures related to the May 18 Gwangju Uprising.

A past controversy involving Democratic Party figures drinking with employees on the eve of the May 18 Gwangju Uprising has been rekindled. The guest mentioned prominent Democratic Party figures such as then-leader Kim Min-seok, Song Young-gil, and Woo Sang-ho were present, expressing a critical view of the drinking party that occurred the day before May 18, rather than on the day itself.

Representative Kim Tae-gyu suggested to Han Sung-sook that the spirit of freedom of June 25 should also be included in the preamble of the constitution. This was a rebuttal to the Democratic Party's assertion for the inclusion of the May 18 spirit in the constitution's preamble. The Prime Minister responded that a national consensus had not yet been reached on this and that procedures must be followed.

According to a poll conducted by PenNMike on behalf of Gongjeong from August 23 to 24, targeting 13 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, the People Power Party's approval rating recorded 41.7%, surpassing the Democratic Party's 38.8%. Particularly, among those under 20, support for the People Power Party reached 60.9%, confirming high support from the youth.

Park Sung-jin criticized the Democratic Party's youth-related policies as unrealistic, citing past remarks such as 'Young people, live in tents' and 'Take out the desks in goshiwons and put in green algae'. He analyzed that the failure of these Democratic Party youth policies was one of the reasons that led to the People Power Party's approval rating 'golden cross'. He added that the leadership of Chairman Jang Dong-hyeok is emphasizing party member sovereignty, thus gaining support from party members.

Kim Jun-su cited Representative Jeon Eun-soo's nomination case as a prime example of a 'parachute nomination', emphasizing the need for direct election by party members. He argued that Jeon Eun-soo, who served as a Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson and was then immediately nominated as a National Assembly member by Lee Jae-myung, meant that someone who wouldn't have become a National Assembly member did, and that direct election by party members should be introduced to prevent such cases. He pointed out the problem of party members' voices not being reflected in the current reality where bottom-up nominations are absent.

Kim Jun-su raised a counterargument against the conservative camp's expansionism, stating that internal cohesion should be prioritized. He analogized that external expansion is only possible when the interior is solid, and advocating for expansion before internal cohesion is like 'continuously building a structure without a framework'. He emphasized the party organization as an ideological collective, arguing that the internal foundation must first be strengthened through a party member-centric party.