By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-09-18 03:18:38 | Updated at 2026-09-18 09:59:22
6 hours ago
SEOUL – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung apologised to the public and vowed to be more humble as he sought to reverse haemorrhaging public support and get his policy agenda back on track at a high-stakes press briefing on Sept 18, even as a barrage of criticism from US President Donald Trump narrows his room to manoeuvre.
“I would like to begin by expressing my apologies to the people who continue to struggle through their daily lives in difficult circumstances,” Lee said during a snap news conference aimed at shoring up public support.
“I was taken aback by what seemed to be a sudden wave of disappointment and concern from the public. But after much reflection and soul-searching, I have come to one conclusion that the people are always right.”
Lee has seen his approval ratings plunge in the past two months, hitting a fresh record low of 37 per cent in the latest poll released on Sept 18 before his speech.
That comes as the Trump administration slams Seoul over its purported unwillingness to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and slow movement on its US$350 billion (S$446.44 billion) US trade deal.
At home, many South Koreans have soured on Lee over the economy.
Even as the global AI build-out reaps record profits for chip giants SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics Co, voters are seeing little impact on their lives, with surveys highlighting growing discontent on issues such as Seoul’s high property prices.
“The shortcomings are mine,” Lee said. “Faced with so many pressing tasks, I was too eager to move forward and failed to fully understand the feelings of more people.”
If Lee can’t turnaround his ratings and retain support from his base, he risks being relegated to “early lame-duck status,” said Jeong Han-wool, director of the Korean People Research Institute.
In this situation, even if his party’s control of Parliament means he can enact some policies, he’d face “criticism whatever he does.”
To stop the bleeding, Lee ordered a sweeping reshuffle of his Cabinet weeks ago, changing out his finance, defense and justice ministers among others, with his top policy advisor Kim Yong-beom stepping down, writing that it was time for the government to refocus not only on “the percentage of growth but also about how many lives have been transformed by that growth.”
But that reset and shift in messaging have failed to boost Lee’s approval ratings.
Special relationship
Lee has also been struggling to balance Seoul’s all-important relationship with security ally Washington, which stations around 28,500 soldiers in the South in part to help protect it from the nuclear-armed North Korea.
Trump cancelled long-planned joint military drills with Seoul, citing his friendship with Kim Jong Un and Seoul’s purported refusal to help with Iran.
Washington has also been complaining about what it sees as lack of follow-through on Seoul’s investment commitments.
While the two countries are nearing an announcement on the first project, South Korea recently asked for more time to fine-tune the deal.
In a bid to smooth ties, Lee’s administration has said it is exploring options to help support the effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – through which, before hostilities broke out in February, South Korea used to receive more than 70 per cent of its oil needs.
The president faces strong domestic opposition to sending troops to help secure the strategic waterway under US pressure.
“Any mission would require Seoul to balance the US demands with the risk of Iranian retaliation, military readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and domestic political opposition,” Bloomberg Economics’ Hyosung Kwon and Adam Farrar said in a note.
“Trump’s transactional approach to alliances means friction in one area is almost certain to bleed into other issues.” BLOOMBERG
