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Koreans of all ages, from older adults to elementary and middle-school students, to mothers holding their small children’s hands, have stormed onto the streets and around Seoul City Hall in recent days to protest the import of U.S. beef over concerns about mad cow disease. The movement began with a simple request that the government of President Lee Myung-bak renegotiate with the United States to strengthen the safety of imported beef. The size of the first gathering was small – just a few groups holding candles.

However, the small candlelight vigil has sparked an enormous firestorm all over the country. Most embarrassing to Lee’s administration is the fact that the protests are going so far as to demand the president’s impeachment and the resignation of his entire Cabinet for its misconduct in domestic and foreign policy. This once small fire now seems ready to consume Lee’s political life.

There is a further sign that Lee is in a political crisis. His approval rating has recently collapsed, hitting a record low for a newly installed Korean president – below 20 percent, according to surveys by major Korean newspapers, and even lower according to research by his own Grand National Party.

In a public apology to the Korean people last month, intended to soothe their anger, Lee made the situation worse by failing to express his willingness to follow their demands. Now, as his presidency is reaching the 100-day mark, civil movement leaders have expressed concerns over his government’s failures.

After a landslide victory in the presidential election a mere six months ago, what has gone wrong?

Some government officials may believe that if the administration can get beyond the current protests, no serious obstacles will remain ahead. This is false, because the fundamental problem lies not in certain issues but in the approach Lee’s government has chosen to take.

At first, when the Korean people began to raise their voices against Lee’s plan to construct a “Grand Canal” across the country, the president may have experienced a little discomfort, but did not seem to see this as a serious political issue. A few environmentalists expressed strong concerns about this plan, but most ordinary people seemed merely to be skeptical of its viability and practical benefits.

However, as Lee’s government has shown no sign of taking the people’s opinions seriously, and has continued to strike a confrontational attitude by announcing that it would stick to its blueprint without any effort at conciliation, many of those who were only mildly concerned about the canal plan have strengthened their opposition. They are angered that Lee’s government seems to care nothing about public opinion.

This impression has revived his former corporate image as a “bulldozer.” He has continued this bulldozer approach even in his drive to expand English education, which has reinforced negative beliefs about him.

Another factor that has substantially shaped the Korean people’s perception of President Lee is the many troubles with the new Cabinet members he appointed. Many of them have allegedly been involved with the misappropriation of public funds, real estate speculation, plagiarism in their dissertations, and other unethical behavior.

Some of his chosen advisers who were rich and morally infamous were forced to resign under political pressure even before taking office. These scandals have stained the image of Lee’s administration and left ordinary Korean citizens with a perception that their president stands closer to the rich than to them.

This growing concept that Lee is aloof from the people was again reinforced when the beef import issue arose. President Lee and his Cabinet members immediately expressed their suspicions about the sincerity of the protests, alleging that some secretive political force was controlling them.

This suggestion, rather than discouraging the protesters, has provoked non-participants to join, expanding the movement across the country.

With regard to the beef imports, Lee and his Cabinet members continue to give the impression that they are sidestepping the issue. Lee has never responded directly to the people’s concerns, just reiterated his position. As major news media and scientific sources increasingly report the risk of mad cow disease as it relates to imported U.S. beef, irrespective of whether it poses an immediate danger to health, the Korean government has done nothing to assuage the Korean people’s concern.

Therefore, the people’s protests are driven not only by the beef issue, but by the president’s attitude in responding to his people. Even in the face of such a serious backlash, he has still not clarified whether he will bow to the protesters’ demands.

What causes his recalcitrance? Needless to say, his bulldozer personality is more than partly to blame. Although this could turn out to be a positive feature of good leadership, if it is not balanced by receptivity to different opinions, it could have destructive consequences. President Lee’s mindset here is the most culpable.

That mindset seems to be rooted in the 1970s. The online Joongang Daily News has pointed out that just as Lee’s economic policies are reminiscent of the past era of authoritarian government-driven economic development, his political mindset is also obsolete. His adherence to the old-era approach, combined with his forceful personality, could lead in a dangerous direction.

The concern now is that if he does not change his mindset, he will face ongoing confrontations with the people, especially as his opponents grow more determined not to yield to his obstinacy. If he maintains an inflexible position, it could erode his political support quite early.

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(Lee Jae Young is a freelance writer and citizen reporter for Ohmynews International. He has a master's degree from Cornell University Law School in Ithaca, New York. ©Copyright Lee Jae Young.)