DP's New Leadership Centered on '86 Generation'... President Yoon Suk-yeol's Approval Rating Drops to 30%, Unlikely to Rebound

Debater Yoon Ki-chan referred to President Yoon Suk-yeol's 40% approval rating as a psychological threshold, stating that historically, no president whose approval rating dropped into the 30% range has ever recovered. He emphasized that the current decline in approval is steep, pointing out a generally negative trend in the public's evaluation of the President's overall state administration. Based on these historical precedents, he predicted that a rebound in President Yoon's approval rating would be difficult.

Debater Yoon Ki-chan pointed out that the government's messaging on North Korea issues is causing confusion. He criticized the Unification Minister for stating that North Korea's official name should be used as North Korea desires, while the Defense Minister has failed to demonstrate a clear role. He also noted that military unit management is lax, leading to frequent accidents, and raised questions about the effectiveness of U.S.-ROK cooperation. This situation, he argued, weakens trust in the government's overall North Korea and defense policies.

Regarding whether party leader Kim Min-seok can quickly establish a positive differentiation from President Lee Jae-myung, debater Yoon Ki-chan predicted it would be difficult for some time. He analyzed that, based on Kim Min-seok's election process, it's fair to say he has almost no independent support base. The sentiment in the Honam region and President Lee Jae-myung's support significantly influenced his election, and attention will be paid to how much Kim Min-seok's future policy actions can show differentiation from President Lee Jae-myung, he added.

Debater Yoon Ki-chan reported that former lawmaker Park Won-seok attributed the cause of lawmaker Jung Chung-rae's defeat in the party leadership election to writer Yoo Si-min. Park particularly criticized Yoo Si-min strongly in connection with the issue of revoking a public prosecution, but Yoon analyzed that the sentiment in the Honam region on this issue might differ from Park Won-seok's claims. He suggested that the Honam region likely made a strategic choice, and the difference in nature between Jung Chung-rae as a kingmaker and Kim Min-seok as a player likely influenced the election results.

Debater Yoon Ki-chan analyzed that Kim Yong's defeat in the Supreme Council election could serve as a signal that the President's power has weakened. He pointed out that Kim Yong's candidacy while on bail led to the materialization of judicial risks. He also suggested that the declarations of support for specific candidates by other resigned candidates might have backfired. He evaluated Kim Yong's defeat as a significant event that could bring about changes in the party's power structure.

It was noted that the Democratic Party's new leadership, including the party leader and all Supreme Council members, consists of individuals born in the 1960s, forming a so-called '86 generation'-centered structure. The debater mentioned that the words used in party leader Kim Min-seok's acceptance speech were often past-oriented expressions that younger generations found difficult to understand, leading to concerns that the DP leadership might be out of touch with the demands of younger generations. It was pointed out that the new leadership needs to make efforts to effectively communicate with younger generations.

Party leader Kim Min-seok declared his intention to change and evolve all aspects of the Democratic Party's language, attitude, and culture, implying that the previous leadership's methods were flawed. The debater interpreted Kim's remarks as effectively advocating for a 'purge,' indicating his resolve to secure independent party management and redefine relations with the opposition party. Significant changes are expected in the party's internal order under the Lee Jae-myung system.

During the second quarter of this year, 449 political and current affairs YouTube channels were shut down en masse. The debater argued that this phenomenon is linked to the revised Information and Communications Network Act, dubbed the 'Mouth-Covering Law,' which came into effect on July 7th this year. This law pressures online platform operators to take autonomous measures, imposing 5x damages if they fail to comply, raising concerns that content unfavorable to the government could be prioritized for deletion, and thus infringing on freedom of expression.

Problems have been raised regarding Google's AI system, which has been introduced as a content moderation tool, detecting and directly deleting certain content without requests for explanation. The debater pointed out that the AI system ignores cultural contexts and fails to provide a justification process before deletion, leading to harm. This method could infringe on content creators' property rights, and calls for transparency and fairness in the system were made. It was emphasized that automated AI judgments may not be suitable for all situations.

It was claimed that the launch of single-asset leveraged ETFs was driven by the revision of presidential decrees aimed at generating profits for securities firms. Debater Yoon Ki-chan mentioned that a securities firm executive recommended deregulation to Director Kim Yong-beom in January, arguing that this undermines the original purpose of ETFs, which is diversification. He analyzed that the move to relax regulations was behind the guise of deregulation, serving the interests of securities firms.

Criticism arose that single-stock leveraged ETFs were urgently implemented around May 27th without pilot operations or review. Debater Yoon Ki-chan criticized this hasty implementation, stating that it was done without sufficient consideration of the potential harm to the public. In this regard, suspicions were also raised that the government might have introduced this system for the purpose of defending the exchange rate. Concerns are growing about the introduction of the system without prior verification.

It was claimed that since the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, individual investors have suffered approximately 50 trillion won in losses, while securities firms earned 100 million won in commission fees. Debater Yoon Ki-chan questioned whether the government could have been unaware of such massive public harm and demanded accountability for implementing this system despite opposition. Criticism was also raised regarding the insufficient personnel actions taken against those responsible, considering the scale of the damage.

It was pointed out that young investors' losses have increased due to the credit provision system inducing excessive 'debt-financed investment.' Debater Yoon Ki-chan explained that when money is borrowed for investment, it is similar to using the stock as collateral, leading to margin calls if stock prices fall. He criticized that the situation where young investors with insufficient funds borrow money from securities firms to invest has effectively been encouraged by the state, pointing out the structural problem where forced sales during stock declines exacerbate losses. He emphasized that the government should address the side effects of policies that encourage stock investment.

The current government's economic policies are being criticized for fueling inflation. Debater Yoon Ki-chan pointed out that the government is maintaining an aggressive fiscal policy, with a budget of 728 trillion won and an 8% increase, and has released money through two supplementary budgets totaling 50 trillion won. He argued that when money is circulated in the market, prices inevitably rise, and analyzed that this stimulates suppliers' inflation expectations. He questioned the effectiveness of policies providing 1 trillion won to curb inflation, emphasizing that the fundamental cause of inflation should be sought in the government's fiscal policies.