Approval rating in Daegu and Gyeongbuk plummets
October 5th week TK positive evaluation 18%
Cut in half from 37% two months ago
“Severe unsold apartments in Daegu
“They don’t even take care of pending issues such as the new airport.”
At the ebb of support for the ‘heart of conservatism’
Although local lawmakers did not care what they said,
Concerns about “weakening conservative base” within the party
Enlarge photo On April 1 last year, President Yoon Seok-yeol and First Lady Kim Kun-hee visited the ‘Seomun Market 100th Anniversary Ceremony’ held at Seomun Market in Daegu. Yonhap News As President Yoon Seok-yeol’s approval rating hit the 10% range for the first time during his term, concerns are growing in the ruling party that “traditional conservative supporters are leaving.” In particular, a sense of crisis is prevalent in TK (Daegu/Gyeongbuk), known as the ‘heart of conservatism’, as the approval rating has been cut in half in two months.
From the 29th to the 31st of last month, Gallup Korea asked 1,005 adult men and women over the age of 18 across the country about the president’s performance in state affairs. As a result, 19% responded that he was doing a good job (see the Central Public Opinion Survey Deliberation Committee website for more details).
With the psychological resistance line of 20% broken, the results of the TK opinion poll caused an even greater shock. In TK, the approval rating for the government was 37% as of the end of August, but in this announcement, it was 18%, lower than the national approval rating. This means that public sentiment in this region is cooling quickly.
TK It is also worth noting that in public opinion, the approval ratings of President Yoon and the People Power Party are going in different directions. President Yoon’s approval rating in the region plummeted from 26% the previous week to 18%, but the People Power Party’s approval rating actually increased from 46% to 53%. This ‘decoupling’ of approval ratings shows that there was greater disappointment with the Yoon Seok-yeol government than with the ruling party.
The representative of a real estate agent in Jung-gu, Daegu said, “As the government’s real estate policy is focused only on Seoul, the Daegu real estate market with many unsold apartments is literally on the verge of collapse.” He added, “Shouldn’t local areas revive the real estate market with differentiated policies? “He complained. An official from a sales agency in Daegu also said, “If the strengthened loan regulations are applied in the same way as Seoul, the real estate market in places like Daegu will not be able to revive,” and “The Yoon Seok-yeol government does not seem to be interested in revitalizing the local economy.”
As shown by the real estate recession, Daegu apartment prices have been falling for 50 consecutive weeks. According to the Korea Real Estate Agency, as of the 28th of last month, apartment sales prices nationwide rose 0.01% from the previous week, and apartment prices in Seoul rose 0.08%. On the other hand, Daegu apartment sales prices fell 0.06%, falling for the 50th week. This is because the unsold housing stock in Daegu is hardly being resolved. As of the end of September, the number of unsold apartment complexes in Daegu was 8,864, accounting for 13.2% of the nation’s unsold apartment complexes (66,776 households). Nationwide, it is the second largest after Gyeonggi (9,521 households).
There are also high voices of dissatisfaction with TK issues. An official from a construction company headquartered in Daegu said, “There was overwhelming support in the last presidential election, but the president did not appear to clearly take care of local projects such as the construction of TK’s new airport.” “It’s unfortunate,” he said.
They are also showing signs of fatigue as the conflict between President Yoon and People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon continues to arise. The president and the ruling party leader must protect conservative values and join forces to counter the strong pressure from the large opposition party, but this is not visible. A Daegu city council member from the People Power Party said, “Every resident I meet even says that the party leader is being kicked out again because of this.” He added, “In a situation where the ruling and opposition parties are opposing each other, it would be inconvenient to unite and fight, so the supporters are disappointed because only the internal conflict within the party is expressed. “It has to be bigger,” he said.
In this situation, the ongoing controversy over First Lady Kim Kun-hee is also acting as a negative factor for the rebound in approval ratings. A representative of a small business in Gyeongbuk said, “Even during the Park Geun-hye administration, when the scandal of state affairs came to light, the TK public sentiment turned away,” and added, “After the Myung Tae-gyun controversy, many people turned their backs on the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.”
Local lawmakers belonging to the People Power Party are taking the situation seriously but are reticent to say anything. When asked at a press conference on the day why the 20% approval rating in TK fell, Chu Kyung-ho, floor leader of the People Power Party, whose constituency is Daegu Dalseong, answered, “I think the common variables felt by the entire people are working together.” However, he emphasized, “I think that if we come up with an appropriate answer and work hard, the people watching will not disappoint their expectations.”
A lawmaker whose constituency is Daegu interpreted, “It seems to reflect the public’s voice that the government and the ruling party will fight and burn everything, so both sides should come to their senses.” Another key official of the People Power Party said, “If the results of this opinion poll had properly taken into account the phone call between President Yoon and Mr. Myung, the approval rating would have fallen to 15%,” adding, “This is a series that shows that the ruling party is united to prevent public sentiment.” He expressed a sense of crisis, saying, “This incident is necessary.”
[대구 우성덕 기자 / 서울 김명환 기자 / 진영화 기자]
