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Politics, Economy, and Dynamics of Presidential Popularity in the Kim Dae Jung Government in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2016

Hoon Jaung
Hoon Jaung*
Affiliation:
Chung-Ang University
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Abstract

What determines the public evaluation of South Korean president? Is it a temporal cycle of presidential tenure, the economy or political events? This paper explores these questions by examining the case of President Kim Dae Jung who enjoyed high popularity in the early phase of his tenure but experienced consistent decline of popularity after 18 months in office, much like his predecessors did. The paper argues that the high and low of public support for the president is not simply a function of the temporal cycle and that the fluctuation of public rating is strongly influenced by the public's consideration of economic matters and corruption scandals. In the case of the current South Korean president, one's performance in resuscitating the economy could not rescue a president besieged by one corruption scandal after another. Also, the improved economic conditions did not save Kim Dae Jung's public approval rate from tumbling, because reforms failed to alleviate the economic hardship felt by the lower class. All of this demonstrates that the public does separate economic and political issues and weigh them disproportionately in evaluating presidential performance.

Type
Regional Report
Information
Journal of East Asian Studies , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , February 2002 , pp. 241 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © East Asia Institute 

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