Democratic Party Proposes 'Choi Young-jung Prevention Act' Despite 57.9% Disapproval Rating
The Democratic Party looks to legislation to find a breakthrough for its approval ratings, which are stuck in the 30% range.
The Democratic Party lawmakers' workshop held in Incheon on the 27th served as a rally to regroup ahead of the September regular session of the National Assembly. Under the goal of a "Great Leap for Korea," the party pledged an all-out effort on legislation and the budget to support the Lee Jae-myung government. According to a report by Yonhap News, the National Assembly saw a flurry of proposals on the same day, including a revision to the Public Official Election Act to strengthen the vetting of public office candidates and a bill on the Korea Power Corporation regarding the relocation of the integrated headquarters of power generation companies. With the opening of the session a month away, the race for legislation has effectively begun.
57.9% Disapproval Rating Drives Push for Legislation
The numbers explain the context. In a poll conducted by JoWon C&I on 2,001 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide from the 22nd to the 24th, President Lee Jae-myung's positive rating for state administration remained at 38.9%. The negative rating stood at 57.9%, outpacing the positive by 19 percentage points. This signals a growing rift in his support base. At the workshop, the Democratic Party pointed out the downward trend in both state administration and party approval ratings and discussed ways to recover public sentiment ahead of the 2028 general election.
Checking party cohesion was not easy either. While there were comments about the necessity of expanding toward moderate conservatives, former Representative Jung Cheong-rae, who had been the subject of discussion, publicly expressed regret. It was a situation where disagreements over the interpretation of the party line surfaced. With external negative evaluations and internal rifts overlapping, legislative achievements were presented as the quickest prescription.
Strengthening Candidate Screening and Attracting Integrated Headquarters at Core
Rep. Lee Kwang-hee (DP, Cheongju Seowon) led the proposal for a partial revision to the Public Official Election Act, aiming to strengthen the vetting of candidates for sexual crimes. The political circle refers to this bill as the "Choi Young-jung Prevention Act." The nickname derives from the figure who exposed a blind spot in the candidate vetting process. The intent is to help voters make informed choices by solidifying confirmation procedures related to sexual crimes into law. If the revision passes, vetting at the candidate registration stage will become tighter than it is now, likely influencing the landscape of the next election.
A bill that could reshape the power generation industry landscape also emerged. People Power Party Rep. Kang Min-kuk (Jinju-eul, South Gyeongsang) proposed the Korea Power Corporation Act, which aims to locate the integrated headquarters of power generation public enterprises in the Jinju Innovation City. The plan is to consolidate scattered power generation organizations into a single headquarters and place them in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province. This is an issue directly tied to jobs, tax revenue, and population inflow for the host region. Conversely, the cost of relocation and personnel attrition during the integration process remain the burden of the companies. The logic of industrial policy and balanced regional development is condensed into this single bill.
Consensus on Strengthening Screening and the Wall of Relocation Costs
The revision to the Public Official Election Act belongs to a category with a relatively high possibility of cross-party cooperation. This is because strengthening candidate screening aligns with the voters' right to know, making it difficult for any party to formulate a rationale for opposition. However, there remains room for political maneuvering regarding the extent of the screening items and procedures. Designing standards that do not appear to target a specific individual will likely be the key.
The Korea Power Corporation Act carries challenges regarding industry and financial resources. There is a high possibility of inter-regional competition over attracting the integrated headquarters. Discussions on the funding for relocation costs and measures for employee welfare must also accompany the legislative process. The power industry's scrutiny of whether public enterprise integration will lead to management efficiency is also indispensable. It is a typical confrontation where the rationale for balanced development clashes with the logic of cost burden.
September Confronted with State Audit and Special Counsel
The opposition party's axis of response is also clear. People Power Party Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, chairman of the National Assembly's special committee investigating the "June 3 ballot shortage incident," announced on the 27th that the committee's re-count had fallen through. He also indicated his intention to refer the remaining issues to a special counsel for the National Election Commission. The ruling party's push for livelihood legislation and the opposition party's pursuit of state audits and special prosecutors are expected to form the basic picture of the National Assembly in September.
The regular session of the National Assembly opens on September 1st. The revisions will undergo review by relevant standing committees and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee before being put to a plenary vote. As the process coincides with the budget bill season, the processing speed may accelerate or decelerate depending on the political schedule. The fact that President Lee is showing a pace-control approach rather than throwing aggressive fastballs amid the decline in approval ratings is also cited as a variable. It seems the first month of the September Assembly will gauge whether the legislative tasks set by the Democratic Party will yield a scorecard in numbers.
