President Lee Jae-myung to Hold Press Conference on 18th Amid Record-Low Approval Ratings, Likely to Address Constitutional Amendment and Case Withdrawal

With his approval rating having fallen to the 30% range, the lowest since taking office, President Lee Jae-myung is set to hold a 90-minute press conference on the afternoon of the 18th, with attention focused on whether he will directly address the controversies over a constitutional amendment allowing his reelection and the withdrawal of criminal charges against him.

The reelection amendment controversy began in July when National Assembly Speaker Cho Jung-sik remarked that "the reelection of a sitting president is a matter for the people to decide." While the constitution currently makes a sitting president's reelection impossible, the opposition has kept up its attacks as President Lee has refrained from stating that "there will be no reelection amendment."

The controversy over withdrawing his criminal charges is an issue the president has avoided mentioning directly. At the center of the dispute is the fabricated-prosecution special counsel bill introduced by the Democratic Party in May. The bill includes provisions authorizing the withdrawal of charges in the president's own cases, drawing criticism that President Lee is seeking to eliminate his legal risks through a special counsel of his own appointment. According to a Gallup Korea poll released on the 11th, the president's positive rating for his job performance fell to 38%, a record low since taking office.

The controversy over the nomination of the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which has sparked friction within the Democratic Party's support base, is another issue likely to come up. Nominee Kim Ji-yong has drawn criticism from hard-line prosecution reformers within the ruling party for having publicly opposed the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers. Hard-line supporters in the ruling camp have raised doubts about the president's commitment to reform, citing the government's cautious approach during the push to abolish prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers and its proposal to retain the prosecution's staffing structure and the indictment division.

Policy issues such as real estate, cited as the top reason for negative assessments of his governance, are also expected to be raised.

Jang Seung-jin, a professor of political science at Kookmin University, said, "If questions arise about the withdrawal of charges or the reelection issue, I believe it would be advisable to address them directly and dispel the suspicions." Yoon Tae-gon, head of the Mood of the People political analysis center, said that stating a position on the withdrawal of charges "may not immediately lead to a rebound in approval ratings, but it could mark the beginning of rebuilding trust," adding, "What matters now is halting the decline in approval ratings."