KOREA REPORT(2017, No.3)
1. 100 Days of The Moon Administration
1. 100 Days of the Moon Administration, from the Peoples’ Perspective
□ 100 days of the Moon Administration show signs of hope for realizing its national vision: ‘A Nation of the People, a Republic of Korea of Justice’
❍ Marking Moon’s first 100 days in office, President Moon held a press conference (Aug. 17), and delivered a nationally televised brief to the people (Aug 20).
- As President Moon himself evaluated, his 100 days in office laid the stepping stones for preparing the ‘new administration’s 5-year blueprint for running the state’ and ‘redefining the role of the state.’
- President Moon reaffirmed his commitment in bringing real and noticeable improvements in the quality of lives of the people.
❍ Harsh criticisms by the opposition parties, favorable response from the people.
- The three opposition parties criticized President Moon’s 100 days as to have been “party of their own,” while some positive remarks stated e.g. the Moon administration is “different from the past” (Ha Tae-kyung, the Bareun Party), “fresh and new in comparison to former President Park Keun-hye” (Park Ji-won, the People’s Party).
- The Moon administration received 80% of public approval rating for its 100 days of governance; netizens also came up with an online-event to celebrate President Moon’s first 100 days by making the search word “Thank You, Moon Jae-in” the top hit-search word of the day.
□ The peoples’ overwhelming support for the President, as well as his policies.
❍ The Moon administration’s approval rating recorded 80% high since its inauguration – sign of peoples’ overwhelming support for the government.
- The approval rating on the 100th day of the Moon administration range from 78.6% (The Hankyoreh-Hankook Research, Aug. 14) to 85.3% (KSOI, Aug. 20), that people approve of the job Moon Jae-in is doing as president.
- According to these Polls, the Moon administration’s performance has excelled in the following order of policies: ① welfare policy 33.6% ② enhancing national cohesion 19.9% ③ political reform 16.8% ④ economic policy 6.7% ⑤ personnel policy 6.0% ⑥ North Korea and foreign policy 4.5% ⑦ education policy 1.3% (YTN-Embrain, Aug 15).
- Also, in terms of 5-year major government tasks: ‘economic development 32.0%,’ ‘eradication of deep- rooted corruption and ills 28.3%,’ and ‘improving Inter-Korean relations’ 16.6% (KBS-Kantar Public, Aug. 15).
❍ Specific policies implemented by the Moon administration since inauguration also received very high approval rating.
- High approval rating on all policies: Job creation in the public sector (56.4%, Munhwailbo, Aug. 15), raising the minimum wage (74.4%, the Hankyoreh, Aug. 14), taxation on large conglomerates and upper-income group (85.1%, the Hankyoreh, Aug. 15), ‘8.2 Real Estate Policies’ (67.6%, KSOI, Aug. 20), ‘Moon Jae-in Care’ (67.9%, YTN, Aug. 15), Free-nuclear policy (65.6%, YTN 8.15) and others.
- Public opinions on the Moon administration’s inter-Korean relations remains strongly divided. ‘Strengthening sanctions to NK’ 49.8%, ‘dialogue and cooperation with NK’ 44.5% The Hankyoreh, Aug. 14.
□ The Moon administration should continue its active communication with the people and focus on its policy to place ‘peoples’ lives at first’
❍ To maintain the administration’s high approval rating, the government should endeavor to improve the quality of lives of the people.
- As President Moon pointed out, the goal of the government is to ‘improve the quality of lives of the people’. The administration should not settle for the current approval rating, but instead further focus in alleviating people’s basic needs in living,
- The government should not forget its original pledge to bring ‘Income-led Growth’ to Korea and implement its policies consistently which aim to alleviate the problems of inequality, create new jobs, increase the minimum wage and others, on the basis of the peoples’ firm support for the government.
❍ The three opposition parties should show their efforts to accommodate such opinions of the people and cooperate.
- The will of the people should come before party interests. The support rate of the opposition parties may be restored if they could show that they conform to peoples’ opinion.
- The opposition parties should bear in mind that many people perceive these three opposition parties to be the main cause of deteriorating cooperation in politics (48.5%).