[AKYUNG Poll] 7 out of 10 People Say "Lee Jae-yong Should Be Released"

Special pardon support at 50.9%, parole support at 15.3%
High approval among 60s and 70s People Power Party supporters
Lee Jae-myung leads in suitability for presidential candidates
Yoon Seok-yeol slightly ahead within margin in head-to-head race

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Nearly 70% of the public believe that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong should be granted a special pardon or parole. Specifically, 50.9% think a special pardon is appropriate, while 15.3% favor parole. Meanwhile, 28.0% of the public consider both methods inappropriate. The business community prefers a special pardon that guarantees Vice Chairman Lee freedom in management activities, whereas opinions in the political sphere are divided between special pardon and parole. Unlike a special pardon, parole involves restrictions such as employment, residence, and travel bans, making it difficult to expect effective participation in management.

Asia Economy commissioned Winzi Korea Consulting to conduct a public opinion survey from the 24th to the 25th, targeting 1,008 voters aged 18 and over nationwide (100% mobile phone virtual numbers, automated response). The results showed that 50.9% supported a special pardon for Vice Chairman Lee, and 15.3% supported parole, totaling 66.2% in favor of either measure.

Supporters of the special pardon were highest among those in their 60s and those aged 70 and above, at 70.3% and 71.1%, respectively. Among supporters of the People Power Party, 73.8% favored the special pardon. Conversely, in their 30s and 40s, many considered both special pardon and parole inappropriate, at 38.6% and 42.1%, respectively. Among Democratic Party supporters, 46.0% opposed the measures.

Meanwhile, in a survey asking about suitability for the presidential election across all parties, Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung took first place again after two months with 28.6%, surpassing former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl. In the previous survey (conducted on the 10th?11th), Yoon was first with 24.3%, now placing second. However, in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup between Lee and Yoon, Yoon led with 43.9% over Lee’s 42.4%, within the margin of error. In a hypothetical matchup between former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and Yoon, Lee Nak-yeon received 45.6% support, narrowly ahead of Yoon’s 43.4% within the margin of error.

The response rate for this survey was 7.0%, and the sample was extracted with weighting by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of January from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, please refer to the Winzi Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.