The Presidential Office released a photo on social media on the 28th showing President Lee Jae-myung watching news of his summit with President Trump at the White House in Washington D.C. on the 25th (local time). 2025.8.28. Yonhap News

What President Lee Jae-myung revealed to the public at the South Korea-U.S. summit was 'flattery' towards an ally and 'disregard' for his own people. It was nothing more than a unilateral 'notification,' too embarrassing to be called a negotiation. This is why self-deprecating remarks like "What on earth did he go to the U.S. for?" are erupting among the public.

The public sensed that the diplomacy shown by the President was not a 'negotiation for national interest' but merely a 'political event.' In reality, the tangible achievements gained by South Korea from this summit were minimal, with only unilateral demands being accepted and subservient agreements being highlighted.

However, it is not only the President. Chung Sye-kyun, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has also disappointed the public.

He boasted about having "achieved something great historically" immediately after the passage of the Yellow Envelope Act. However, that 'great achievement' is directly leading to 'major accidents' on industrial sites.

The automotive industry is reeling from chain negotiation demands from hundreds of labor unions at its suppliers, and the IT industry is facing a flood of negotiation demands from the headquarters of its subsidiary companies. Many foreign companies have responded by withdrawing or scaling back their investments in South Korea. Companies are increasing automation and robot investments to avoid legal risks, and the repercussions will ultimately lead to a reduction in workers' jobs.

The public, observing these situations, is asking, "Are the President and the ruling party leader both out of their minds?" This is not mere anger or self-deprecation, but is also confirmed by opinion poll numbers.

According to a regular opinion poll by Media Tomato released by News Tomato, President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating for state management has fallen to 48.3%, breaking the 50% mark, while his disapproval rating has risen to 48.8%, already surpassing the approval rating within the margin of error. The Democratic Party of Korea's support rate also fell to 39.1%, showing a mere 1.8 percentage point difference with the People Power Party (37.3%). This is a collapse of a gap that was more than 10 percentage points just a few months ago.

This shows that the public is turning away from 'flattery diplomacy' and 'irresponsible legislation.'

The arrogance of the ruling power, which has reduced diplomacy to notification and the economy to an experiment, is now leading to an irreversible alienation of public sentiment. What the public desires is not self-congratulation but responsible diplomacy and prudent legislation.

However, what the President and the ruling party leader have shown is not 'leadership' but 'incompetence,' and not 'responsibility' but 'self-satisfaction.' Negotiations have been reduced to notifications, and diplomacy has culminated in humiliation. History will record them not as 'figures who achieved great things,' but as 'forces that left behind major accidents.'

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