[Editorial] Face the reality

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating dropped to just 19 percent in a poll released Friday, marking its lowest recording since he took office in May 2022. The continued fall of his approval ratings illustrates public discontent about his handling of political disputes.

According to the survey conducted by Gallup Korea, positive assessments of Yoon’s performance edged down 1 percentage point from the previous week. But negative assessments hit an all-time high of 72 percent, up 2 percentage points from the week before.

It is regrettable that Yoon has failed to reverse the negative assessments caused largely by his own inaction regarding allegations involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee. Troubles with the economy, especially weak domestic demand, and Yoon’s lack of communication with the public were the other reasons behind these poor ratings, respondents in the poll said.

Shortly after the new poll was released, major media outlets expressed dismay and shock, while raising questions about whether Yoon has the capacity to handle high-stakes national affairs over the remainder of his term.

Past records show that it is rare for presidential approval ratings to drop below the psychological threshold of 20 percent before even the halfway point of a president's five-year term, a threshold that has generally held firm for past presidents. By the midpoint of their respective terms, most former presidents in recent years had significantly higher approval ratings: Roh Moo-hyun at 34 percent, Lee Myung-bak at 49 percent, Park Geun-hye at 36 percent and Moon Jae-in at 45 percent.

One exception was former President Roh Tae-woo, whose support fell to 18 percent midway through his term.

The worsening approval rating means Yoon does not have solid public support for his handling of major controversies at a time when Korea’s national security, economy and foreign relations are increasingly in a turbulent state.

Pundits both at home and abroad have expressed worries about reports of North Korea’s imminent participation in the war in Ukraine to support Russia. There has been no definite confirmation yet about North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Ukraine’s battlefields, but rumors are circulating, fueling speculation about its potential impact on inter-Korean relations.

On Sunday, South Korea held combined air drills together with the US and Japan in a show of force following Pyongyang’s launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile last week.

The trilateral drills came amid tensions after the North fired the new Hwasong-19 ICBM into the East Sea on Thursday. It was the first launch of a long-range ballistic missile this year by North Korea, with rumors of its troop dispatch sparking concern around the world.

For Yoon, the problems caused by North Korea’s provocations amount to a major challenge in need of resolution but there has been no sign of any breakthrough from the presidential office to defuse tensions, which rather seem to be continually escalating.

Korea’s economy remains in a mixed situation, another negative factor that Yoon must tackle. Exports increased for 13 straight months in October, and a trade surplus has continued for 17 months in a row. But gross domestic product retreated in the second quarter and remains sluggish in the third quarter. With two months before the year-end, Korea is unlikely to achieve the government’s projected growth of 2.6 percent. Worse, both production and consumption are on a downward trend.

In addition to the challenges involving North Korea and the economy, Yoon has to worry about the erosion of support from his traditional base. According to the Gallup poll, his approval rating in the Busan-South Gyeongsang Province region fell to 22 percent, down from 27 percent the previous week, while support in the Daegu-North Gyeongsang Province region dropped by 8 percentage points to 18 percent -- even lower than the national average of 19 percent.

Yoon, who is likely to come under more pressure over the ongoing political scandals involving him and his wife, must seek a better path to handle these challenges not only for his approval rating, but also for the country.