우리나라 대통령이 인사를 잘하기 어려운 이유

The South Korean president faces challenges in making appointments due to the country's core principle that politics is about people. This is an immutable truth in the political realm. President Yoon Suk-yeol recently dismissed six ministers and policy chiefs, with public opinion generally unfavorable. According to a September 2nd Korea Society Public Opinion Research Institute survey, 41.2% of respondents had a positive view of the president's governance, while 53.9% were negative, marking the worst assessment since his inauguration.

When asked about his evaluation of the opening, positive responses were at 37.7%, and negative at 46.6%. A September 4th Korea Gallup survey showed 40% positive and 51% negative ratings for the president's job performance, also the worst since he took office. The primary reasons for the negative ratings are related to housing policies (23%), economic and social issues (11%), and appointments (9%).

The reason behind the negative public sentiment is multifaceted. Firstly, the president's approval ratings have been declining since the "dead cross" period, making evaluations more likely to be negative regardless of his actions. Secondly, the recent appointments made by President Yoon were flawed, as he acknowledged the shortcomings in housing policy and the resulting inflation of stock prices by dismissing and disciplining the officials responsible.

However, the real issue lies in the lack of rigorous verification processes. More concerning is that the appointees, such as Kim Seung-woon for the Ministry of Justice and Un Hyo-in for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, have faced significant scrutiny and criticism. The president may have thought that appointing young women to high-ranking positions would appeal to the 2030 generation, but the reality is that young women facing criticism from the younger generation are not the primary issue.

The core problem is that the younger generation feels unfairly favored by the older guard due to the "586 686 generation" mentality in the Democratic Party. This sentiment arose from incidents like the Incheon International Airport affair, the Winter Olympics controversy, and the Jang Jung case during President Moon Jae-in's tenure.

The president's poor judgment and lack of empathy toward the younger generation led to this situation. The president now regrets the outcome, but making appointments in South Korea is always challenging. There are rarely individuals who are both skilled and morally upright. This is simply a reality of the world.