Wakeup call

Ruling party should heed negative public sentiment

The by-elections Wednesday left nothing for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to cheer about as it failed to win a parliamentary seat.

The by-elections, viewed as a test of public sentiment toward the Moon Jaein administration, were held to pick two lawmakers and three local councilors. The main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) and the minor Justice Party gained one National Assembly seat each.

The main focus of the elections were the two Assembly seats in South Gyeongsang Province. The National Election Commission announced Thursday that the LKP's Jeong Jeomsig won in Tongyeong-Goseong, while Yeo Youngguk of the Justice Party won in Changwon. The ruling party also failed to secure any of the local councilor seats.

All in all, the election results show a noticeable turnaround from the resounding support of the South Gyeongsang region for the ruling party and the Moon administration. The change in public sentiment is particularly hurtful for the DPK considering that just a year ago, it had seen a sweeping success in the region in the local elections. The people in the South Gyeonsang region have started to turn their backs on the President.

President Moon should take the by-election results as a wakeup call and address the factors that are undermining public trust in his administration. The biggest reason for the growing public disapproval is due to his administration's failure to deal with the job crisis and revitalize the economy. Second, many have been disappointed by the lack of discipline and professionalism at Cheong Wa Dae. The presidential office has refused to address the problems raised by the media and the people about its dysfunctional appointment process. The Moon administration has also done little to prepare the country for long-term challenges such as the population crisis or current environmental issues.

Many Koreans are also getting tired of Moon's focus on North Korea, particularly after the collapse of the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February. Since then, North Korea has hinted that it will seek a "new path." The country has even started to rebuild some of its nuclear facilities and has carried out steps that show that it does not fully honor the agreements reached during the summits between Moon and Kim last year. Under such circumstances, President Moon's diplomacy with North Korea seem like it's on a path toward an embarrassing failure.

There is only a year left until the general elections next year. Moon has only a limited amount of time to make a difference. Cheong Wa Dae and the DPK should think seriously about what the by-elections results mean and figure out what they should do for victory in the 2020 general elections.