Appointment of Prime Minister and Candidates for Ministers of Science, ICT, Oceans and Fisheries, and Land, Infrastructure and Transport: Future Korea Research Institute Poll
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yong-woo] What is the public opinion regarding the appointment of the Prime Minister and three ministerial candidates, which is taking place with less than a year left in President Moon Jae-in's term?
A public opinion poll showed that it is inappropriate to appoint all four candidates, including the Prime Minister and three ministerial nominees.
In an urgent survey recently conducted by the public opinion research agency Mirae Korea Research Institute Co., Ltd., the majority of respondents opposed the appointment of all the candidates.
In the April 7 by-elections for the mayors of Seoul and Busan, the ruling Democratic Party lost metropolitan government seats to the opposition People Power Party. This was interpreted not as a victory for the opposition but as a judgment by the public against the ruling party.
In response to the public’s will, the Moon Jae-in administration nominated the Prime Minister and three ministers as part of a political shift and held confirmation hearings in the National Assembly.
At a time when the confirmation hearings in the National Assembly have not yet approved the Prime Minister and some ministerial nominees due to moral issues and allegations, Mirae Korea Research Institute conducted an urgent survey to understand public opinion on these matters.
The survey results are as follows.
In response to the question, “The confirmation hearing for Prime Minister nominee Kim Boo-kyum has concluded. Kim Boo-kyum is embroiled in controversies including habitual fines and automobile tax arrears, bullying during school days, and allegations of a customized fund involving his daughter. What is your opinion on this?”
▲ 59.6% think the controversies make him inappropriate for appointment as Prime Minister and see it as problematic.
▲ 34.8% think there are controversies, but they do not consider them problematic for appointment as Prime Minister.
▲ 5.7% answered that they do not know.
In response to the question, “Science and ICT Minister nominee Lim Hye-sook is under controversy for taking her family on a business trip, 13 cases of disguised address registration, signing a down payment contract for an apartment, and allegations of plagiarism in her spouse’s thesis. What is your opinion on this?”
▲ 74.0% think the controversies make her inappropriate for appointment as minister and see it as problematic.
▲ 17.7% think there are controversies, but they do not consider them problematic for appointment as minister.
▲ 8.3% answered that they do not know.
In response to the question, “Minister of Oceans and Fisheries nominee Park Jun-young is under suspicion that his wife imported expensive ceramics without paying customs duties while he was serving as a counselor at the British Embassy and sold them domestically. What is your opinion on this?”
▲ 64.4% think the controversies make him inappropriate for appointment as minister and see it as problematic.
▲ 28.1% think there are controversies, but they do not consider them problematic for appointment as minister.
▲ 7.5% answered that they do not know.
In response to the question, “Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister nominee Noh Hyung-wook is under controversy for renting out an apartment in Sejong City that he acquired through special supply, while living in a government residence himself, and making a capital gain of about 220 million KRW by selling it. What is your opinion on this?”
▲ 61.4% think the controversies make him inappropriate for appointment as minister and see it as problematic.
▲ 31.9% think there are controversies, but they do not consider them problematic for appointment as minister.
▲ 6.7% answered that they do not know.
Also, in response to the question, “Currently, the opposition party is requesting the government to withdraw the nominations of Lim Hye-sook, Park Jun-young, and Noh Hyung-wook, claiming they are unqualified as ministers. What is your opinion on this request from the opposition?”
▲ 62.0% agree with the opposition’s request.
▲ 27.9% do not agree.
▲ 10.1% answered that they do not know.
This survey was conducted by Mirae Korea Research Institute Co., Ltd. on May 8 from 7:00 PM to 9:50 PM (one day).
It surveyed 1,000 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, with a confidence level of 95%, a margin of error of ±3.1%, and a response rate of 3.1%.
The survey was conducted 100% via wireless RDD automated telephone response. Weighting was applied by region, gender, and age (rim weighting), based on the resident registration population data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as of March 2021.
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