'52%→11%'... President Yoon's Approval Rating a Fleeting Dream

Sharp Drop in Approval Ratings After Emergency Martial Law Incident
Once Reached 53% but Continues to Decline
Public Opinion May Worsen Further as Investigation Progresses

Support for President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is facing an impeachment crisis, has ultimately fallen to 11%. His approval rating, which was 52% at the beginning of his term, gradually declined due to a series of controversies throughout his tenure and then plummeted sharply following the 'martial law incident.'

President Yoon is making efforts to rally conservative supporters, but analysts suggest that public opinion could worsen further as investigations progress and charges begin to be proven.

According to a Gallup Korea survey released on the 13th, President Yoon's approval rating for the second week of December (10th?12th) was 11%, a 5 percentage point drop from the previous week. This is the lowest figure since the current administration began. Negative evaluations rose by 10 percentage points to 85% compared to the previous week.

Based on Gallup Korea data, President Yoon's approval rating started at 52% (second week of May 2022). At that time, negative evaluations were only 37%, less than half of the current level. The top reasons for positive evaluations included 'fulfillment of campaign promises' (8%), 'decisiveness, drive, and perseverance' (7%), and 'fairness, justice, and principles' (6%).

President Yoon's approval rating rose to 53% (first and second weeks of June 2022) but then steadily declined. Various controversies surrounding First Lady Kim Geon-hee, personnel failures, accusations of poor communication and unilateral decision-making, and the exercise of veto power damaged his image of fairness and principles. The so-called 'nalimyeon' remark controversy and humiliating diplomacy with Japan also contributed.

According to a public opinion survey conducted by Gallup Korea from the 10th to the 12th among 1,002 adults aged 18 and over nationwide, the positive evaluation of President Yoon Seok-yeol's job performance was 11%, while the negative evaluation was 85%. (Source=Gallup Korea)

President Yoon increased efforts to communicate with the public this year but saw little effect. Since the press conference in May, Gallup Korea's approval rating remained around 24% with little change, and around the August press conference, it even dropped from 27% (fourth week of August) to 23% (first week of September).

In response, Chung Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President, stated at the National Assembly's Steering Committee hearing on the 1st of last month, "Because the approval rating is not high, we will redouble our efforts," but the sudden declaration of martial law earlier this month nullified those efforts.

In this survey, respondents who evaluated negatively cited the martial law incident (49%) as the biggest reason. Negative public opinion on martial law increased significantly compared to 16% the previous week. Evaluations of 'economy, livelihood, and prices' (8%) were also unfavorable.

Since President Yoon rejected early resignation in a national address the day before and stated he would "stand firm until the end," future public opinion prospects are not bright. Gallup Korea's survey on impeachment support showed that 75% of respondents were in favor, while 21% opposed.

In particular, when asked whether they viewed President Yoon's declaration of martial law as an act of rebellion, 71% responded that it was an 'act of rebellion.' The remaining 23% said 'not rebellion,' and 6% refused to answer.

In his fourth address, President Yoon justified the martial law by citing the opposition's frequent impeachment motions and budget cuts that paralyzed governance, but public sentiment remains unfavorable. Rather, even within the ruling party, the address seems to have increased support for impeachment.

Accordingly, President Yoon's approval rating may decline further. Looking at the lowest approval ratings of previous presidents, former President Moon Jae-in had 29% (April 2021), and former President Park Geun-hye had 4% (November 2016).

However, in President Yoon's case, if the impeachment motion is passed in the National Assembly plenary session vote on the 14th and his duties are suspended, further investigations may not proceed.

Meanwhile, this Gallup Korea survey was conducted via telephone interviews (CATI) with 1,002 adults aged 18 and over nationwide. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

On the 12th, citizens held a rally at the Geoduri intersection in Dongnae-myeon, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon, calling for the resignation of President Yoon Seok-yeol and demanding the dissolution of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News