Lee Jae-myung Approval Rating in Crisis, Nearing 20s... Internal Impeachment Calls Spread

According to a Realmeter poll, Lee Jae-myung's approval rating is on the verge of falling below 30%. His current approval rating remains in the early 30s, with predictions that it could drop into the 20s next week. Regarding this, Seonwoo Yoon-ho stated, “Today's Realmeter poll showed a dangerous approval rating in the 30s. There are even predictions that it will enter the 20s next week.”

If Lee Jae-myung's approval rating indeed falls into the 20s, it would be difficult to avoid the assessment of a 'lame-duck leadership'.

Signs of defection are appearing within Lee Jae-myung's support base, and voices against Lee Jae-myung are growing louder within the far-left. Claims such as "I really don't like Lee Jae-myung," "I won't call him president, I can't stand it, Lee Jae-myung step down," and "This is not what I voted for you for" are openly circulating on social media and online communities.

During protests against the deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, there were even performances condemning Lee Jae-myung while wearing his mask alongside a mask of former US President Trump. These phenomena suggest that dissatisfaction among Lee Jae-myung's supporters is being expressed.

Allegations have been raised regarding the operation of the Basic Income Party led by Representative Yong Hye-in. Moon Sung-ho pointed out, “If their provincial branches were not properly run and the number of party members was not met, this is grounds for party cancellation.” The claim is that if the Basic Income Party did not properly operate its provincial branches and failed to meet the required number of party members under the Political Party Act, it could be grounds for party cancellation.

In this regard, Representative Joo Jin-woo and the civic group Committee for the Livelihood and Welfare of the Common People have filed a complaint against Representative Yong Hye-in for violating the Political Party Act and fraud. If the investigation proceeds inadequately, it will be difficult to avoid criticism of a 'lenient investigation.'

These allegations persist even after Representative Yong Hye-in's resignation, sparking controversy over the transparency and accountability of the party. This incident could serve as an important test case for future standards of transparency in party operations.

The Basic Income Party had formed an alliance with the Democratic Party during the election process and was allocated proportional representation candidates, so if the allegations prove true, it could affect the legitimacy of the alliance process.

After being embroiled in controversy over special favors and manipulative tactics, Representative Yong Hye-in announced her resignation, but her attitude of not admitting any fault has drawn criticism. Moon Sung-ho criticized, "She didn't do anything wrong. She says the People Power Party, which slandered her, incited, the Democratic Party fell for the incitement, and the media didn't report correctly, so she didn't do anything wrong."

This is interpreted as an attitude of shifting the cause of the controversy to the People Power Party's incitement, the Democratic Party's misjudgment, and the media's inadequate reporting, and is being criticized as an attempt to evade her own responsibility.

After Representative Yong Hye-in's resignation, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok proposed an alliance, raising questions about its sincerity. Seonwoo Yoon-ho commented, "Didn't the Democratic Party pressure Yong Hye-in to step down? So, are they just offering lip service because they feel sorry?"

This suggests that the Democratic Party may have pressured Representative Yong Hye-in to resign and is now making a perfunctory offer out of apology. Kim Min-seok's past actions and controversy surrounding activist groups also fuel these suspicions.

The decline in Lee Jae-myung's approval rating is evident across all age groups. Notably, negative evaluations among young people in their 20s reached an overwhelming 79.5%. Kim Hye-ji analyzed, "More than half of all age groups gave negative evaluations. Moreover, you can see that those in their 20s almost hit 80%. This is a tremendous figure, and in fact, the practical feeling is already 20%."

The primary cause for this sharp drop in approval is attributed to the government's failure in appointments. The consecutive controversies surrounding past actions of ministerial nominees and their lack of qualifications are analyzed as fueling disappointment among supporters.

The high negative evaluation among young people in their 20s indicates that disappointment in Lee Jae-myung is not confined to a specific generation but is spreading broadly. If this trend continues, Lee Jae-myung's political standing could weaken further.

Controversies surrounding past actions and allegations of real estate speculation continue to plague ministerial nominees. Many candidates, including Kim Seung-won and Kang Shin-chul, have been embroiled in qualification controversies that would have led to their dismissal in the past. Seonwoo Yoon-ho pointed out, "Since Representative Yong Hye-in and Representative Kim Seung-won are so critical, other candidates are not getting much attention, but if you look at candidates like Kang Shin-chul, they would have been prime candidates for dismissal in the past."

Despite allegations of real estate speculation and loans to relatives, there is criticism that vetting standards have been relaxed or that the controversies are not being properly addressed compared to the past.

Controversy is growing as Hong Ji-seon, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, has refused to submit his military service records. Seonwoo Yoon-ho questioned, "He came out as the MOLIT minister, I don't think that's important. But why can't he submit it?" pointing out that the attempt to conceal information is a bigger problem than whether he completed military service.

The refusal to submit military service records is being compared to the case of former Minister Ahn Gyu-baek and is becoming a pretext for demands for his resignation. Seonwoo Yoon-ho urged him to be honest about the situation or decline the position, saying, "If there's something truly critical, you should rather decline the position."

A candidate's military service records are considered a public right to know and an important verification element for public officials. Not transparently disclosing such information is criticized as increasing public suspicion and undermining trust.

In the Jeonnam, Gwangju, and Jeonbuk regions, which are traditional strongholds of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung's approval rating recorded 55%. Kim Hye-ji and Moon Sung-ho commented, "If it hit 55% in Jeonnam, Gwangju, and Jeonbuk, I think the Democratic Party is ruined. In those areas, during Moon Jae-in's time or when Lee Jae-myung was surging, they would vote 90%."

This is analyzed as a significant indicator of a crack in the core support base of the Democratic Party, especially when compared to the bloc voting phenomenon of over 90% during the Moon Jae-in administration.

An analysis suggests that the aftermath of the real estate crisis has spread beyond the metropolitan area to the Chungcheong region, affecting Lee Jae-myung's approval rating. Moon Sung-ho stated, "The real estate crisis also hit the Chungcheong region. I think this is reflected in the approval rating, perhaps because the Chungcheong region was directly impacted by the Lee Jae-myung administration's real estate policies."

This phenomenon indicates that dissatisfaction with Lee Jae-myung's real estate policies is spreading not only in the metropolitan area but also in other regions. This is interpreted as an emergency for the Democratic Party ahead of next year's general election.

Failure in real estate policy directly impacts voters' daily lives, which can be a decisive factor in the decline of approval ratings. The drop in approval ratings in the Chungcheong region is expected to place a significant burden on the Democratic Party.

There are discussions among reporters that Lee Jae-myung might appear on Kim Eo-jun's broadcast. Moon Sung-ho conveyed, "Among reporters, there's some talk that Lee Jae-myung might go on Kim Eo-jun's show."

If Lee Jae-myung were to appear on Kim Eo-jun's broadcast, attention is focused on how it might affect his approval rating recovery and internal consolidation among supporters.

The far-left's calls for Lee Jae-myung's impeachment, which began online, are now spreading to offline protests. Moon Sung-ho described the scene: "Online, the far-left is calling for Lee Jae-myung's impeachment, and offline, civic groups have come out, protesting against the Lee Jae-myung administration, wearing Lee Jae-myung's mask alongside a mask of US President Trump, holding green onions."

At the protest site, scenes of parody and anti-American sentiment were observed, with protestors wearing Lee Jae-myung's mask next to a mask of former US President Trump and holding green onions. This indicates that the far-left's dissatisfaction with Lee Jae-myung is moving beyond mere online criticism to active demonstrations.

This phenomenon means that opposition to Lee Jae-myung is appearing in various forms beyond a specific faction, raising concerns about future political repercussions. Especially the combination with anti-American protests could also affect Lee Jae-myung's support base.

The Yeosu World Island Expo, running until November 4, had a visitor target of 3 million, but as of the 13th, the cumulative visitor count remained around 108,000. Seonwoo Yoon-ho pointed out, "As of the 13th, 108,000 people had visited. The visitor target was 3 million. Only 3.3% of 3 million came."

This represents a dismal performance of 3.3% of the target, indicating severe sluggishness in attendance with visitor numbers sharply dropping after the opening day.

At the Geumo-do sub-venue of the Yeosu World Island Expo, free shuttle buses that had been operating since the opening day were completely suspended starting on the 9th, causing significant inconvenience for visitors. Seonwoo Yoon-ho explained the situation, "There's a place called Geumo-do. Here, the free shuttle buses that had been operating since the opening day were completely suspended starting on the 9th."

The suspension of shuttle bus services is reportedly due to a conflict with the island's taxi industry. Initially, the number of vehicles was reduced to one, and then the remaining vehicle was withdrawn, leading to numerous complaints from visitors.

In island areas with poor public transport accessibility, the suspension of shuttle bus services can have a fatal impact on visitor inflow. Especially for large-scale events like expos, visitor convenience is an essential factor for success.

Visitors to the site have either given up on attending the expo due to unexpected transport inconvenience or expressed complaints, leading to negative public opinion regarding the event's operation.

Controversy over the land ownership of Yeosu Mayor Jung Ki-myung's family has emerged, raising allegations of favoritism in the selection of the Yeosu World Island Expo site. According to Gwangju Broadcasting, it was confirmed that a vegetable garden owned by Mayor Jung Ki-myung is located just 100m from Gaedo, a sub-venue of the Island Expo. Seonwoo Yoon-ho stated, "Controversy over the land ownership of Yeosu Mayor Jung Ki-myung's family is emerging. This is because a vegetable garden owned by Mayor Jung Ki-myung has been created just 100m from Gaedo, which is a sub-venue of the Island Expo."

A review of the real estate registry showed that Mayor Jung inherited approximately 3,600 pyeong (about 11,900 square meters) of land around the expo site. The fact that detailed design services for the site began in 2022, shortly after Mayor Jung took office, further amplifies the suspicions.

This connection between land ownership and site selection could lead to conflicts of interest for public officials and raises questions about the fairness of the expo's hosting. Civic groups and local residents are demanding a thorough investigation into the possibility that the mayor's family's private land influenced the expo's hosting.

Mayor Jung's side admits to land ownership but maintains that it is unrelated to the expo site selection, but the suspicions are not easily subsiding. This situation is expected to be a crucial test for the successful hosting of the expo and the transparency of Yeosu City's administration.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae's decision to abolish 500,000 won in postpartum care support has sparked controversy. Despite over 10,000 citizens petitioning to reverse the decision, Governor Choo Mi-ae has refused. Kim Hye-ji and Moon Sung-ho explained the situation: "Gyeonggi Province abolished 500,000 won in postpartum care support. Gyeonggi Province Governor Choo Mi-ae is saying she will not reverse this, even though the petition has exceeded 10,000 people."

Civic groups criticize the local government's budget deficit as a result of the long-term leftist government's lax financial management failures. In a situation where solving the low birth rate problem is urgent, the abolition of postpartum care support is criticized as a policy that goes against the times.

This decision places a direct economic burden on birthing families, drawing public backlash. Discussions on local government budget management and policy priorities are expected to become more active.