Keeping away from sycophants

President Yoon’s aides must see if they fell into the “confirmation bias.”

Lee Sang-ryeolThe author is a senior editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo. Former National Security Advisor Herbert R. McMaster recalled in his book “At War with Ourselves: My Tour of Duty in the Trump White House” that the White House meetings were a contest of flattery. McMaster was one of the so-called “axis of grown-ups” who kept policy balance in the Trump administration along with State Secretary Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. McMaster was fired for his criticism and blunt remarks about Trump, an impulsive and unpredictable leader. The rise of sycophants was a tragedy of the Trump administration. McMaster recalled that they flattered Trump by saying, “The president’s intuition is always right.” Trump’s maverick administration led to his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

If flattery pushes away candid advice, the administration falls into the abyss. There are many cases in the East and the West. The Yoon Suk Yeol administration also shows some unusual signs. President Yoon didn’t attend the opening ceremony of the 22nd National Assembly early this month. This happened for the first time in 37 years since the direct presidential election system was adopted in 1987. Yoon’s Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk said, “How can I tell the president to go to the National Assembly and suffer when ridicule, jeering and verbal abuse are rampant?” That means Chung didn’t recommend the president to attend the opening ceremony out of fear that he would feel uncomfortable. The president also didn’t attend the first workshop for People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers since the inauguration of PPP leader Han Dong-hoon. The president postponed the get-together with the PPP leadership, including Han, until after Chuseok, but had a dinner with pro-Yoon members of the party’s Supreme Council. In a nutshell, the president clearly distanced himself from the leadership of the governing party as well as the opposition party. It appears that the president is isolated from the frontline of politics. Is it right to have the president only meet with people on “his side” and save him from hearing anything that makes him uncomfortable? The role of presidential aides should not be keeping him happy.

When it comes to the economy, the government is bent on self-praises. Citing a foreign media report depicting Korea’s export growth as “a blockbuster,” the president said the economy is clearly recovering. Everyone knows that exports are rebounding. But the problem is that it doesn’t lead to economic recovery for the people. The president bragged about the country’s strong employment, including the highest employment rate for 30 consecutive months and the lowest unemployment rate ever. But statistics soon showed that 54.6 percent of the employed in August were short-term employees who worked less than 36 hours per week. The number of people “taking a break” without trying to find a job also reached 2.56 million, the largest since related statistics were compiled. Many of the indicators are “illusions.” The economic situation the president was briefed on may have been based on reports from his aides. It’s hard to shake off the suspicion that he’s receiving reports only with indicators that make him happy.

According to a poll conducted shortly before the Chuseok holiday, President Yoon’s approval rating dropped to the lowest level since his inauguration — 20 percent in a Gallup Korea poll and 27 percent in a Realmeter poll. More than half of his term remains, but his ratings are precursors to a lame duck presidency. With such pitiful ratings, he can hardly push for the pension, education, labor and medical sector reforms.

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President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Sept. 10. [KIM HYUN-DONG]

According to Gallup Korea’s survey, 70 percent gave a negative rating on the president’s performance — and the two primary reasons were his relentless push to increase the medical school admissions quota (18 percent) and the economy, people’s livelihoods and inflation (12 percent). These are nothing new. The problem is that the government’s understanding of the situation and its prescriptions are going in a different direction from what people hope for.

Citizens also complained about his overbearing attitude such as a lack of communications (10 percent), dogmatic or unilateral governance (8 percent) and a death of efforts for integration and cooperation (3 percent). The president only solidified that image by acting as he pleases. His aides must reflect on themselves to see if they fell into the “confirmation bias” that they are doing well. Here, we must note one thing. The Trump White House became a contest of flattery because Trump enjoyed it. It’s up to the president which aides he should pick and how they work.