The Democratic Party of Korea is increasingly distancing itself from government policies and President Lee Jae-myung’s political judgments as approval ratings for both the president and the party decline. The shift is most visible in the party’s handling of a special counsel bill on alleged fabricated indictments by prosecutors, including a provision to drop charges in Lee’s cases. Although chief spokesperson Park Sung-joon said the bill should pass during the regular parliamentary session in September, senior party and floor officials, including Kwon Chil-seung and Kim Han-kyu, said public consensus was necessary. Lawmakers also criticized the government’s introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs and demanded changes to Aug. 13 property-tax measures. Party leader Kim Min-seok separately asked Lee to withdraw the appointment of former People Power Party lawmaker Inn Yo-han as president of the Korean Red Cross. Recent polling showed Lee’s approval at record lows, while 63% said he should declare that he will not run in the next presidential election and 57% judged the Aug. 13 property measures ineffective. Party officials say the tougher stance reflects an effort to correct unpopular policies, not a rupture with the presidential office.