South Korean President Lee stumbles in cabinet selection; approval rating drops for first time since taking office

On the 23rd, Kang Sun-woo, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who had been nominated as a candidate for the Minister of Gender Equality and Family in the Lee Jae-myung administration, declined the position.
The main opposition party, the People's Power Party, and others had called for his resignation, citing his lack of qualifications for a high-ranking public official.
On the 0th, President Lee withdrew his nomination of Lee Jin-sook, the candidate for Minister of Education, who had been accused of plagiarism in her research paper. Since taking office on the 4th of last month, President Lee has been selecting his cabinet members, but
The government's formation has been put on hold due to the government's decision to appoint President Lee. His approval rating, which had been steadily increasing since he took office, fell for the first time in the latest opinion polls. This is believed to be due in part to the confusion surrounding the appointment of cabinet ministers.
The government is hoping to minimize criticism of its administration by quickly selecting a replacement candidate and completing the formation of a cabinet soon. In South Korea, when high-ranking public officials such as cabinet ministers take office, a personnel hearing is held in the National Assembly.
If the candidate is deemed suitable at the confirmation hearing, the confirmation hearing report is adopted, the President appoints the candidate, and the candidate officially takes office.
The ministry can appoint the new ministers even if the report is not adopted, but this would mean that important positions would be filled by people who have been deemed unqualified by the Diet.
Lee Jae-myung, who took office as president on the 4th of last month, is selecting cabinet candidates, including Minister of Gender Equality and Family.
The candidate was Kang Sun-woo, a lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. However, allegations of power harassment emerged against Kang, who was alleged to have repeatedly made unreasonable demands on his aides.
It was alleged that he had his aides sort the trash and repair the toilets in people's homes, and it was pointed out that during the five years that Kang served as a member of the National Assembly, his aides had been fired 46 times.
The National Assembly's personnel hearings for the cabinet nominees nominated by President Lee began on the 14th and continued until the 18th. Kang's hearing was held on the 14th.
The main opposition People Power Party pursued the allegations, and the hearings continued until late into the night. Kang said that the details of the allegations were a "misunderstanding," but added, "
"It was all my fault," she said in her apology. However, the People's Power Party urged her to step down, saying she lacked the qualifications. Women's groups also agreed. The National Council of Korean Women's Organizations released a statement on the 16th, saying,
"The 5 million members of the Korean National Council of Women's Organizations nationwide express deep regret over the attitude of candidate Kang Sun-woo, who has ignored the minimum respect and human rights that should be protected in society, and request that he withdraw from the race.
Regarding the cabinet nominees nominated by President Lee, allegations of plagiarism against Lee Jin-sook, former president of Chungnam National University, who was nominated for education minister, have surfaced.
A hearing was held for Lee, who apologized, but President Lee withdrew his nomination on the 20th. A senior official in the presidential office explained the same day, "The president listened to various opinions and made this decision after much deliberation."
On the 23rd, President Lee handed out appointment letters to eight of the 18 people he had nominated so far (the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was retained). Kang was expected to be appointed soon, but
On the same day, Kang expressed her intention to decline the inauguration. "I wanted to give it my all and do my best, but it seems this is the end," she wrote on social media. "I'm also sorry to President Lee, who believed in me and gave me a chance."
In response, the presidential office said it would "swiftly find a candidate who fits the public's perspective."
President Lee, who took office on the 4th of last month, had been enjoying a steady rise in approval ratings until now, but the polling agency
According to a survey released by the company Realmeter on the 21st, President Lee's approval rating fell 2.4 percentage points from the previous week to 62.2%. This is the first drop in the company's survey since President Lee took office.
The approval rating of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea also fell from the previous week. In the early days of the administration of former President Yoon Seok-yeol in 2022, personnel issues came to light, with cabinet candidates declining one after another, and the president's presidency was in a tailspin.
The approval ratings of the president and the ruling party have fallen. The reason for President Lee's first ever drop in approval rating is believed to be the confusion surrounding cabinet appointments. The Lee administration is looking to review its cabinet appointments.
The government hopes to quickly form a cabinet and curb criticism of the government over this issue.