Most South Korean presidents have faltered in their third years. Moon risks falling into the same trap.
In a country where the president is elected to a single five-year term with no possibility of re-election, the third year has always been a challenge for leaders in South Korea.
One former president, Kim Young-sam, lost public support in his third year due to resistance against a new labor law that his administration tried to introduce, while yet another former president, Kim Dae-jung, became embroiled in a corruption scandal involving his son.
Former President Roh Moo-hyun faced public criticism in his third year due to his attempt to seek a free-trade agreement with the United States, while the Lee Myung-bak administration came under fire for alleged illegal monitoring of the public. The last president before Moon, Park Geun-hye, also began to see public discontent mounting in her third year as several political scandals embroiled her term, eventually leading to her impeachment.
No wonder South Korean politics has a famous saying: “the nightmare of the third year makes the president a lame duck.”
The current Moon Jae-in administration kicked off in May 2017, which means Moon will enter his third year in office in 2019. And signs of the “nightmare” for Moon and his government have already begun to emerge.
One of the core members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, Sohn Hye-won, is currently under the media spotlight, with accusations of alleged speculation in real estate. Sohn disaffiliated herself from the party to minimize the public anger, but it does not seem like the dissatisfaction will dissipate soon.
