Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, briefs at the presidential office. Courtesy of Yonhap News

The presidential office held a series of press conferences on economic and social policy and foreign affairs on November 5 and 6 to review the two-and-a-half years of the Yoon administration. It was self-congratulatory, self-promoting on state affairs without reflection. It is questionable whether it is appropriate for President Yoon, who is facing a national crisis, to hold a public press conference on the 7th, to have a briefing that is so disconnected from public opinion. The presidential office may be mistaking the press conference for a normal performance report when it is nearing the halfway point of his term in office. This kind of embarrassing publicity would not be possible if the presidential office knew it was a press conference to pledge change and renewal before the people.
“We have maximized our security and economic interests in accordance with our vision of a global pivotal nation,” said Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office on the 6th, highlighting 10 diplomatic achievements, including strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance, promoting common interests of Korea-China, and achieving peace through strength. It is difficult to understand what kind of national interests were maximized and peace was achieved, considering the worst Korea-China relations in 40 years, the breakdown of ROK-Russia diplomacy, and the deepest Korean Peninsula war crisis since the Korean War. The previous day, Policy Chief Sung Tae-yoon said, “We have tried to build a foundation for the future and increase the structural potential of our society,” citing 18 policies, including the 4 (pension, labor, healthcare, education) +1 (low birth rate) reforms, as achievements.
Policy experts criticized the government, saying “I can't remember if the Yoon administration has done a single thing,” and the presidential office is the only one bragging. With an approval rating in the low teens, no one agrees. Are they blaming the people for not recognizing them even though they are doing a good job? “Forced” publicity that is far from the people's minds is counterproductive.
The frog-in-the-well mentality of the presidential office is probably not unrelated to the internal mood toward presidential press conferences. “The briefing is for the president to explain the first half of his term, as it is difficult for him to give detailed policies,” said a senior presidential office official. This suggests that Yoon's press conference, like the press conferences in May and August, will be a policy achievement and self-congratulatory speech.
The public expects reflection and change from Yoon, and if he thinks of using this as a makeshift way to promote his achievements, he may not be able to do so. The ruling party has been saying that “the press conference could be a watershed moment and the last chance for the five-year Yoon administration,” but the presidential office seems to have no such sense of urgency. President Yoon should go to the press conference knowing that the public is angry at the collapse of state affairs.