South Korean President Yoon apologized, but public response is lacking

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol held a press conference on the 7th of this month to mark the halfway point of his five-year term. Yoon has been under scrutiny over his wife Kim Gun-Hee.
He is facing harsh criticism from the opposition party in the Democratic Party, which is also affecting his low approval rating. At the press conference, Yoon apologized, stood up and bowed deeply, but said, "I don't know what part I admitted to.
In response to a question from a reporter asking, "Please tell me specifically what you will apologize for," he said, "It's difficult to say anything specific." This response drew criticism from within the ruling party, the People's Power Party, who said, "You say you will apologize, but
"Throughout the talk, he only spoke of self-praise," he said. The press conference lasted for about 140 minutes, including a question-and-answer session. He began by saying, "I sincerely apologize for causing concern to the public over the issues surrounding me.
"The things surrounding me" were allegations surrounding Mrs. Kim. There are allegations that Kim was involved in manipulating the stock prices of an automobile company and that she received expensive designer bags from an acquaintance.
However, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office decided last month not to indict Kim on either charge. However, there have been recent allegations that the president and his wife improperly participated in the endorsement of the ruling party's candidate in the national election.
The latest case is that the Democratic Party of Korea, the largest opposition party, is seeking to pass a bill (Kim Gun Hee Special Prosecutor Act) that would allow a special prosecutor independent of the government to investigate the allegations against Kim.
The opposition parties vetoed the bill, which had been passed by the National Assembly. To pass a vetoed bill again, a majority of the members present and two-thirds of the members present must vote in favor.
At the press conference, Yoon reflected on the two and a half years since he took office as president in May 2022, saying, "I have really worked tirelessly. I know that I have done a lot to improve my performance, but in my heart,
"I have always been by the side of the people," he said, but also expressed regret, saying, "What I started for the sake of the people's lives and the future of Korea has caused inconvenience to the people and caused worry to the people about things around me."
"During the remaining two and a half years of my term, I will prioritize changes to the lives of the people and focus the government's efforts on this," he said, and he also stressed measures to combat rising prices, expand welfare for the socially vulnerable, and implement the health, pension, labor, and education reforms that the Yoon administration has proposed.
On the other hand, as mentioned above, Yoon apologized at the beginning of the press conference, but he avoided mentioning the specific reasons, saying, "As I enter the second half of my term, I would like to express my gratitude to the people.
"I felt that I needed to apologize," he said. He also denied the allegations of election interference, saying, "I have done nothing inappropriate and have nothing to hide."
At the press conference that day, President Yoon looked confused in response to questions in Korean from foreign journalists, saying, "I can't hear what they're saying very well."
"I can't understand it..." he said, asking for further explanation from the relevant parties. The question was asked by Chad O'Carlo, CEO of the US North Korea news site "NK News".
Mr. Lu asked a question about inter-Korean relations in relatively fluent Korean, but Mr. Yoon said the moderator couldn't hear him. When the moderator asked him to repeat the question in English, Mr. O'Carroll replied, "I can't speak Korean."
I'm sorry for making it seem like a test," he said in Korean, then asked again in English.
Netizens commented, "That's rude," "I didn't understand it well enough to hear," and "I could have politely asked the foreign journalist, who had worked hard to prepare questions in Korean, to say it again."
"Yoon is halfway through his five-year term on the 10th. In a survey conducted by the polling company Gallup Korea on the 29th and 30th of last month, President Yoon
His approval rating was 19%, the first time it has fallen into the teens since he took office, and in the company's latest poll released on the 8th it had fallen another two points to 17%.
The most common reason for disapproval in both surveys was "problems surrounding Kim Jong-hee," followed by "problems regarding the economy, people's lives, and
The press conference was not well received by the public, and according to the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, one university student said in an interview with the newspaper, "I don't think they will apologize sincerely this time.
I expected them to at least pretend to be sorry, but I'm even more angry at their attitude of trying to brush it off and get away with it," he said angrily. "Even though allegations against Mrs. Kim keep coming out, if she has nothing to be ashamed of,
I would like to ask why they continue to veto the Kim Gun Hee Special Prosecutor Act."