Hong Jun-pyo, the former mayor of Daegu, commented on the controversy surrounding President Lee Jae-myung's nominations of Kim Seung-won for Minister of Justice and Yong Hye-in for Minister of Gender Equality and Family, stating, "If this continues, the approval rating could plummet to the 20% range."
On September 8, Hong expressed on his social media that he viewed President Lee's pragmatism as a project to overcome both conservative and progressive parties. He criticized the nomination of a justice minister candidate involved in what he termed 'barmaid politics' and the Democratic Party's insistence on calling it a civil complaint, saying, "I thought it was difficult to expect anything more from a government that treats national affairs as a joke."
Kim is under suspicion for allegedly soliciting the approval of clinical trials for a COVID-19 treatment from the then-head of the Food and Drug Administration, Kim Kang-rip, through a broker named Yang in 2021.
In response, Kim stated while arriving at his confirmation hearing preparation office in Jongno, "I have never made any improper requests to the FDA, nor has the review process been unfair due to me. That fact is clearly stated in the prosecutor's decision document."
Regarding the act of conveying a civil complaint, he said, "I only called the FDA once, and that day I exchanged related text messages. I have never met the FDA head," asserting that he merely communicated the complaint neutrally.
On his relationship with broker Yang, he explained, "I first met her as a customer at a restaurant or café frequented by legal professionals, and after that, we had no significant interaction until I took on a labor standards case and provided legal representation. It is true that I have respected her as a successful female entrepreneur and have maintained a friendly relationship as a junior colleague."
Hong also criticized the ministerial candidate for the family ministry, who has faced controversies over dual roles, self-appointments of spouses, receipt of government subsidies, and the tacit approval of gender discrimination by the Basic Income Party, calling her a "childish and reckless candidate."
He emphasized that the ongoing controversies surrounding ministerial candidates could lead to a decline in President Lee's approval ratings, stating, "If this continues, President Lee's approval rating could drop to the 20% range, especially with young people leaving in droves."
Indeed, President Lee's approval ratings have been on a downward trend for eight consecutive weeks. According to a survey conducted by Realmeter from August 31 to September 4 among 2,510 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, his approval rating fell by 1.5 percentage points to 37.4% compared to the previous week.
The disapproval rating rose to 59.5%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the previous week, remaining outside the margin of error for six consecutive weeks. The percentage of respondents who answered 'don't know' was 3.1%.
Realmeter noted, "The Democratic Party's decline in support is attributed to controversies over the qualifications of ministerial candidates, tensions surrounding the merger with the Justice Party, and internal strife over ethical oversight of the leadership."
This survey was conducted using a 100% automated response method, with a margin of error of ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.2%.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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