"Itaewon Disaster Responsibility Evasion"... Over Half of the Public Say "Lee Sang-min's Dismissal Demand is Justified"

Media Tomato Poll
'Dismissal of Sangmin Lee' Justified 54.3% vs Unjustified 34.0%
6 out of 10 Say "Consistently Avoiding Responsibility and Scapegoating"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Six out of ten citizens perceive the government's response to the Itaewon tragedy as consistently "evading responsibility and scapegoating."

According to a public opinion poll released by Media Tomato on the 2nd (conducted by News Tomato from the 28th to the 30th, surveying 1,037 adults aged 18 and over nationwide via wireless ARS method), 59.3% of respondents answered that the government’s response one month after the Itaewon tragedy was "consistently evading responsibility and scapegoating." Those who responded that the government "carefully focused on managing the situation" accounted for 33.8%, and 7.0% were unsure.

Regarding questions about holding the government accountable for the tragedy, voices criticizing the government’s response were strong across generations and regions. However, in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, public opinion was more positive toward the government’s response.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In response to the question about the Democratic Party of Korea’s demand for the dismissal of Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min related to the Itaewon tragedy, 54.3% said it was "justified," while 34.0% said it was "unjustified."

In the survey on whether the demand for Minister Lee’s dismissal was justified, the call for accountability was dominant in all regions and generations except Daegu and Gyeongbuk.

Notably, while 63.1% of people in their 20s evaluated the government’s response to the Itaewon tragedy negatively, only 41.9% supported the demand for Minister Lee’s dismissal, which was relatively low.

For detailed survey methodology and results, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.