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South Korea- Domestically unpopular foreign policy will be exploited
[Interview] Domestically unpopular foreign policy will be exploited by counterparts, says former senior diplomat
Hankyoreh Apr 14
The Korean public is livid about President Yoon Suk-yeol’s diplomacy. A survey released by Gallup Korea on March 24 found that only 34% of respondents positively evaluated Yoon's performance as president while 58% saw him as doing a negative job.
Among the reasons why respondents unfavorably evaluated the president’s performance were “relations with Japan” (23%) and the “forced labor compensation issue and diplomacy” (25%). In other words, a combined 48% of those who view the president’s performance in a negative light said they were disappointed with the outcome of the South Korea-Japan summit.
(The survey was conducted from March 21 to 23 after the South Korea-Japan summit and reflect the answers of 1,001 Koreans aged 19 and older, and had a confidence level of 95% and a standard error of plus or minus 3.1 points.)
Nevertheless, the presidential office has hailed Yoon’s diplomatic approach to Japan as “a great success.”
“Seeing how President Yoon receives applause from Japanese citizens at places like hotels and airports, at this point I think he has succeeded to an extent at winning the hearts of Japanese people,” presidential office spokesperson Lee Do-woon boasted.
That is indeed the mood in Japan. A poll of 1,304 Japanese voters conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on March 18-19 showed that 63% of respondents felt positive about the South Korea-Japan summit, far exceeding those who felt negatively (21%). The approval rating of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet was also 40%, up 5 percentage points from February figures.
Among the reasons why respondents unfavorably evaluated the president’s performance were “relations with Japan” (23%) and the “forced labor compensation issue and diplomacy” (25%). In other words, a combined 48% of those who view the president’s performance in a negative light said they were disappointed with the outcome of the South Korea-Japan summit.
(The survey was conducted from March 21 to 23 after the South Korea-Japan summit and reflect the answers of 1,001 Koreans aged 19 and older, and had a confidence level of 95% and a standard error of plus or minus 3.1 points.)
Nevertheless, the presidential office has hailed Yoon’s diplomatic approach to Japan as “a great success.”
“Seeing how President Yoon receives applause from Japanese citizens at places like hotels and airports, at this point I think he has succeeded to an extent at winning the hearts of Japanese people,” presidential office spokesperson Lee Do-woon boasted.
That is indeed the mood in Japan. A poll of 1,304 Japanese voters conducted by the Asahi Shimbun on March 18-19 showed that 63% of respondents felt positive about the South Korea-Japan summit, far exceeding those who felt negatively (21%). The approval rating of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet was also 40%, up 5 percentage points from February figures.
more:
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/1087961.html
Good interview. The most recent Gallup Korea poll shows Yoon's favorable rating is 27 percent. The alleged US wiretapping of the South Korean Presidential Office Building isn't helping the Yoon administration or his political party either.
