[No Dong-il Column] There Is No Politics That Defeats the People

On the 14th, ahead of President Lee Jae-myung's press conference scheduled for the 18th, Representative Yoon Gun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea offered candid advice, stating, "Do not try to win against the people." He added that the essence of the worsening public opinion lies in the "collapse of the foundation of trust" regarding state administration. His frank advice was not a move to check the administration's internal faction or mere political rhetoric. It stemmed from a sense of crisis that the administration's foundation is shaking, and was a piece of advice to accept public opinion as it is. The content is moderate, reflecting Representative Yoon's character, yet reveals his sincerity. The "crisis of trust" mentioned by Representative Yoon accurately captures the reality currently facing state affairs. Identifying the withdrawal of indictments and the controversy over the constitutional amendment for consecutive terms as the causes of this erosion of trust, Representative Yoon also proposed a solution: "All the residue must be cleared away through the press conference." Following President Lee's press conference, Representative Yoon offered a positive assessment, stating that he felt "relieved."
Public opinion is mixed. In a poll commissioned by the Energy Economics Daily and conducted by Realmeter from the 21st to the 23rd targeting 1,508 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, President Lee’s approval rating for his performance in state affairs rose by 3.1 percentage points from the previous week to 37.9%. His disapproval rating fell by 3.3 percentage points to 60.1%. On the other hand, a survey conducted by Jowon C&I (commissioned by Straight News) from the 19th to the 21st targeting 2,007 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide showed President Lee’s approval rating for state affairs at 37.0% and his disapproval rating at 60.8%. In the previous survey conducted by the same agency from the 5th to the 7th, President Lee’s approval rating was 38.1%. During the same period, the approval rating dropped by 1.1 percentage points, while the disapproval rating rose by 1.0 percentage point. What is noteworthy is the background behind the decline in the President’s approval rating. 24.3% of respondents cited the "controversy over the withdrawal of indictments in cases involving the President" as the cause of the decline in approval ratings. This was followed by "real estate prices and housing policies" at 17.7% and "controversies related to prosecution and judicial reform" at 17.5%.
As indicated by public opinion polls, the most sensitive issue at this press conference was the controversy surrounding the President's own "withdrawal of indictment." This is also why Representative Yoon demanded a clean resolution to the allegations. During the conference, the President requested the removal of the Special Counsel's authority to withdraw indictments, but this was far from a "complete withdrawal of the push for withdrawal." His attitude of leaving the issue unresolved by stating that "truth-finding through a Special Counsel is necessary" only served to intensify public suspicion. President Lee should have issued a declaration to completely discard the controversy regarding the withdrawal of indictments against him. It is regrettable, as this was an essential measure to block attacks from the opposition as well as within his own camp, and to secure strong momentum for state affairs. Relatively speaking, regarding the controversy over "constitutional amendment for consecutive terms," ​​he drew a clear line by stating that it is constitutionally impossible and that he has no intention of seeking a second term.
The overall tone of the press conference regarding policy bordered on a lecture aimed at "educating" the public. He attributed the real estate problem to the drastic reduction in permits issued during the tenures of President Yoon Suk-yeol and Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Even if this were true, the current administration has been in power for nearly a year and a half. It is time to demonstrate the competence they boasted of—that they "do a good job"—rather than blaming the previous administration. Regarding the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs, which caused the sharp fluctuations in the KOSPI, he admitted, "It seems true that there were incompleteness and shortcomings in government policy." However, he added, "I have not yet grasped the detailed procedural steps regarding how the leveraged ETFs were decided. Someone must have made the decision." As the chief executive in charge of state affairs, this is a remark that leaves one utterly dumbfounded. Policy failures can be corrected and supplemented. However, the moment the cause is attributed to external factors or other people, the policy crisis immediately becomes a crisis for the administration.
The essence of politics pointed out by Representative Yoon is in line with teachings from all ages and cultures. In his *Records of the Grand Historian*, Sima Qian identified the highest form of politics as one that guides the people's natural nature and way of life in accordance with the natural order. He viewed the second-best form as one that guides the people by suggesting directions that benefit them. The third is a form of politics that seeks to admonish and educate the people, at which point, it is said, that politics begins to go against the people's nature. He considered politics that suppresses and controls the people's behavior through intricate laws and punishments as the lesser evil, and politics that quarrels with the people as the worst.
Representative Yoon spoke again. "It is still early in the term. What is needed now is not political defense, but a reset to redefine the direction of state affairs." History proves that truly great politics is not one where the state interferes with and suppresses the lives of the people through power, but one that guarantees the free nature of the people (Stages 1 and 2). President Lee has expressed confidence in the success of his real estate policy, stating, "There is no government that can defeat the market, but there is no market that can defeat the government." To borrow that phrase to suit the current situation, it would be, "There is no politics that can defeat the people." That must be the goal of the reset to redefine the direction of state affairs.
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