After the Itaewon Tragedy, the Consolidation of 'Yoon Criticism and Support Groups'

Our Newspaper and 'SomeTrend' 3-Month Data Analysis
Negative Words 76.3%, Positive Words Also Rising
Support and Opposition Public Opinion Seems Strengthened
'Isangmin' Search Volume and Negative Word Ratio Also Increased

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] After the ‘Itaewon tragedy,’ criticism and support for President Yoon Suk-yeol on the internet have become more pronounced. Although most of the top search terms were negative words related to the tragedy, positive search terms including ‘support’ also increased significantly. This is interpreted as a notable consolidation of both support and criticism groups triggered by the large-scale disaster.

Asia Economy analyzed search data related to President Yoon from August 8 to November 7 over three months on blogs, Twitter, Instagram, and internet communities using Vibe Company’s (formerly Daumsoft) big data analysis platform SomeTrend. The search volume for the keyword ‘Yoon Suk-yeol’ increased from 2,700 on the day of the tragedy, October 29, to 8,034 the next day (October 30), an increase of 5,334 (about 198%). In the five days before the Itaewon tragedy, related search volumes ranged between 3,000 and 4,000, but in the five days following the tragedy, they rose to between 6,000 and 8,000, more than doubling. This increase rate was higher than that during the ‘swearing controversy’ involving President Yoon on September 22 and 23.

◆Both ‘Criticism and Support’ Searches Increased= In the past month, negative words such as ‘suspicion,’ ‘controversy,’ and ‘tragedy’ accounted for 76.3% of search terms related to President Yoon. This was significantly higher than positive (20.9%) and neutral (2.8%) terms. In particular, ‘tragedy,’ which ranked first in search volume, was recorded 10,000 times over the month. Terms like ‘crime’ (2,325), ‘suspicion’ (1,997), and ‘controversy’ (1,735) also remained among the top ranks. Outside the top 10, new negative terms such as ‘disaster’ (695), ‘tragic’ (672), and ‘incompetence’ (496) appeared.

However, looking at the trend, both positive and negative searches surged sharply. Negative search volume increased from 758 on the 29th to 3,147 on the 30th, a rise of 2,389 (about 315%). Positive search terms like ‘support,’ ‘safety,’ and ‘trust’ also increased tenfold during the same period, from 157 to 1,589.

Because of this, analysis suggests that support and criticism groups have rather consolidated after this major accident. Between the fourth week of October and the first week of November, ‘criticism’ increased from 214 to 385, and ‘support’ rose from 208 to 398.

The search analysis results are also similar to recent public opinion poll trends. Despite the national interest in the Itaewon tragedy, fluctuations in President Yoon’s approval rating have been small. According to a recent Realmeter poll (commissioned by Media Tribune, conducted from October 31 to November 4 with 2,521 voters aged 18 and over nationwide, margin of error ±2.0 percentage points at 95% confidence level, response rate 4.5%), President Yoon’s positive evaluation of state affairs was 34.2%, and negative evaluation was 62.4%. Compared to the previous week, positive evaluation dropped by 1.5 percentage points, and negative evaluation rose by 0.7 percentage points.

◆Minister Lee Sang-min’s Negative Ratio at 74.6%= The search volume for ‘Lee Sang-min,’ Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, also surged sharply after October 29. Previously, the search volume had remained between 0 and 100, but increased to 1,466 on the 30th, 2,555 on the 31st, and 2,900 on November 1.

Over the past month, the proportion of negative search terms was 74.6%, higher than positive (23.1%) and neutral (2.4%). However, there was no significant change in the ratio between positive and negative terms. In terms of content, event-related words such as ‘tragedy’ (3,453) and ‘safety’ (1,545) dominated, with negative keywords like ‘concern’ (719), ‘controversy’ (715), and ‘dismissal’ (667) ranking within the top 10. Except for two terms within the top 10, all search terms related to ‘Lee Sang-min’ were negative.