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| President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with his senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday. Yonhap |
Moon focusing on jobs, economy to improve public sentiment
By Do Je-hae
President Moon Jae-in accepted former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's resignation after he served just 35 days in the post where he was in charge of the President's key policy goal of prosecution reform.
But it remains unclear whether Cho's departure will help President Moon regain popularity amid declining public support for his administration since the ex-minister's nomination in early August.
It is expected that Cheong Wa Dae will continue to be dogged by the aftermath of Cho's resignation, which came the same day the minister unveiled measures to overhaul the prosecution.
Whether the President Moon will be able to maintain his move to reform the prosecution is another question. Since Moon nominated Cho in early August, Cheong Wa Dae equated him with "judiciary reform" and repeatedly underlined that he was the right person to lead the prosecutorial reform. The vacancy in the justice minister post has raised speculation on who will succeed Cho, but Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday that it was too early to comment on the matter.
On Nov. 10, Moon will mark the halfway point of his five-year presidency since he took power in May 2017. Ahead of this crucial occasion, the presidential office has been actively trying to shift public attention away from Cho to issues related to the economy and jobs. These are seen as factors that will determine voter support during next year's general election.
With the all-important elections just six months away, Cheong Wa Dae is badly in need of achievements that can actually speak to the people. "There isn't much that is going well, including the U.S.-North Korea talks," a Cheong Wa Dae source said.
In the post-Cho period, Moon needs to regain public backing for his management of state affairs ahead of the general election. A key task will be to sort out the widening polarization in society, according to political analysts.
"People in the middle of the political sphere have turned their backs on President Moon because of Cho, and social division is at a serious level. It will not be easy for the President to turn this around in a short period of time," Shin Yul, a professor at Myonggi University, said.
To improve public sentiment, the presidential office has been scheduling a number of events mostly to promote his economic agenda. Moon visited Hyundai Motor Group's Namyang R&D center in Hwagseong, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, to announce the government's vision for future cars, following another event hosted by Samsung last week.
Another issue for Moon is that political wrangling over Cho is far from over, making it all the more difficult for him gain cooperation at the National Assembly in passing relevant bills for the judiciary reform.
The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has called on Moon to apologize to the people for causing a national stir. Moon made a public apology about the division during a meeting with his senior aides, Monday, however, his message also contained a positive assessment of Cho's role in setting the stage for prosecutorial reform.
"The Cho Kuk case is not over. We need a more sincere apology from President Moon, who has divided the people and crippled state affairs for the past three months," LKP floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won said during a party meeting, Tuesday.
