Yoon must wake up before it's too late

Does the president — and his aides — really think he can weather all the storms with such a lax response?

Demand for President Yoon Suk Yeol to colossally change his governance style is growing inside and outside the governing People Power Party (PPP). In a statement on Thursday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon accentuated the deepening public sentiment against President Yoon. “The president must change before it’s too late,” he said. An advisory group for the PPP joined the chorus by urging the president to return to the moment of his inauguration and listen to people’s voices.

A consultative body of governors and mayors from the PPP also called on the president to closely communicate with the people and change his governance style for a successful presidency in his remaining term. Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, a senior member of the PPP, demanded a “sincere apology” from the president for his alleged intervention in nominations before the 2022 by-election. “You can’t brush off such accusations by saying it happened before Yoon’s inauguration,” he said.

Such urges by PPP heavyweights reflect the fast-worsening public sentiment after the transcript of a sensitive phone conversation between the president and a power broker was released. Yoon’s approval rating plunged to 19 percent on par with that of former President Park Geun-hye shortly before she was impeached by the legislature in 2016. The majority Democratic Party has embarked on staging a massive rally to impeach the president just like it did eight years ago.

We wonder why Yoon just dismisses such hostile public opinion toward him even though he’s not a seasoned politician. The presidential office doesn’t show any sign of urgency before an imminent crisis. On Monday, the president didn’t appear before the legislature to deliver a speech asking for the majority party’s help in endorsing his budget plan for next year. Instead, the president ordered the prime minister to deliver the speech on his behalf. Yoon avoided a precious chance to communicate with the representatives of the people.

The presidential office says Yoon will clarify his position on the growing demand for change after his overseas trip later this month. Does the president — and his aides — really think he can weather all the storms with such a lax response? The boiling demand for a presidential apology, the retreat of officials linked to first lady Kim Keon Hee and a drastic reshuffle of the presidential office and government are a must, not an option. If the president continues dragging his feet, it will only deepen his crisis.

The presidential office is reportedly overseeing Yoon’s aides, citing the frequent leaks of volatile information from them. We are dumbfounded. If the president’s approval rating drops any further, many will leave the government, the PPP and the presidential office. Yoon and his aides must wake up before it’s too late.