Kim hits the campaign trail to revive his approval ratings
With the Democratic Party of Korea's approval rating hitting its lowest point since the Lee Jae-myung government took office — falling far short of Kim Min-seok's pledge to raise the party's support by 10 percentage points within his first 100 days as chairman — the party leader is seeking a breakthrough by scaling back his messaging and stepping up his on-the-ground activities.
According to a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, the Democratic Party's approval rating fell 5 percentage points from three weeks earlier to 35%, its lowest since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung government. In a Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) survey dated last month's 30th, the People Power Party stood at 37.7%, edging out the Democratic Party (36.3%) within the margin of error for the first time in regular polling history.
Within the party, many attribute the decline in approval ratings to the deepening of intra-progressive divisions first exposed at the party convention, along with internal controversies surrounding Kim Ji-yong, the nominee to head the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. In fact, in a Gallup Korea survey dated August 14, just before the convention, 73% of progressive-leaning respondents said they supported the Democratic Party, but that figure has recently dropped to 69%, while support among moderates also fell from 37% to 34%.
Chairman Kim is seeking a rebound by reducing his messaging and strengthening his field activities. While there are evaluations that the process of coordinating pending issues between the party and the government has progressed, concerns are also being raised that his schedule and messages have been excessive. After delivering remarks of about 4,500 characters at a field-level Supreme Council meeting in North Chungcheong Province on the 11th of last month, he cut back his remarks to just 590 characters at the Supreme Council on the 7th.
Some analysts also note that the special timing of the National Assembly audit period should be taken into account. An official from the party's floor leadership said, "Audits are inherently a difficult period for the ruling party," adding, "It is common to score points in November through legislation and budget deliberations."
On the 7th, Chairman Kim addressed internal criticism of Kim Ji-yong's nomination during the party's YouTube broadcast, indicating that it was time for the party to bring the issue under control, and attended the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly the same day. With Gwangju District Office Chief Lim Eun-jung publicly criticizing the nominee, and Minister of the Interior and Safety Yun Ho-jung stating he would order an inspection of Chief Lim, the controversy remains ongoing. The assessment of Chairman Kim's field activities to revive approval ratings may hinge on how this controversy is resolved.
