'Cabinet reshuffle carries little significance'
Kim Jong-in, former emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, said Monday that Yong Hye-in, nominee for minister of gender equality and family, would sooner give up the ministerial post than her proportional representation seat in the National Assembly.
Speaking on YTN Radio that day, Kim said Yong must have discussed what to do with her Assembly seat before accepting the cabinet nomination. "When she agreed to take the minister post, she would have had no choice but to weigh which of the two positions to keep," he said.
On Kim Seung-won, the nominee for justice minister, Kim said an unexpected lobbying allegation involving the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety had surfaced and was drawing scrutiny. "How clearly he handles that will likely determine whether his confirmation goes smoothly," he said.
On President Lee Jae Myung's second cabinet reshuffle, Kim said it appeared to have been carried out to reverse a slide in approval ratings but had so far failed to generate much impact. He said the fact that a successor to policy chief Kim Yong-beom — who had submitted his resignation — had not been quickly named suggested the reshuffle was carried out before the administration had firmly settled on its basic direction.
Asked about assessments that real estate had become the top reason for the president's falling approval ratings since the June 3 local elections, Kim said Lee had repeatedly spoken as though he could resolve real estate and tax issues that were not realistically solvable. "The voting results showed that had a decisive impact on the Seoul mayoral race," he said.
Kim said the president himself needed to clearly recognize what was driving the continued decline in his approval ratings. "The biggest factor pulling down the polling numbers is real estate and the tax system — there is no other way to put it," he said.
On the trajectory of the president's approval ratings, Kim said Lee would need to move quickly to shift the political dynamic. "He will have to judge how changing the direction of state affairs can win back greater public support," Kim said. "After returning from the state visit to France, who he appoints as presidential policy chief will likely have an even greater effect."
Kim added that the president had announced on June 29 — alongside Lee Jae-yong and Chey Tae-won — a 4,755 trillion won investment plan billed as three mega projects for the future, yet his approval ratings had continued to fall ever since. "It is a policy that is extremely difficult for ordinary people to grasp," Kim said. "An investment plan of 4,755 trillion won simply does not resonate with the average citizen."
mp1256@heraldcorp.com
