"Lee Jae-myung's Hunger Strike, Supporters Rally"…Democratic Party Approval Rating at 46.0%, Highest in Four Months

Democratic Party Approval Rating 46.0%, People Power Party 35.3%
President Yoon's Approval Rating Down 1.2%p to 35.5%

The support rate for the Democratic Party of Korea reached its highest point in four months. This is interpreted as a result of the consolidation of opposition supporters due to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's prolonged hunger strike and the recent cabinet reshuffle by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration causing some controversy.

According to a public opinion poll released on the 18th by Realmeter (conducted via ARS automated response method from May 11 to 15 over five days, targeting 2,505 voters aged 18 and over nationwide, commissioned by Energy Economy Newspaper), the Democratic Party's support rate rose by 1.8 percentage points from the previous week's survey to 46.0%. The People Power Party dropped by 1.5 percentage points to 35.3%. As a result, the gap in support rates between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party widened from 7.4 percentage points last week to 10.7 percentage points this week. The Democratic Party's support rate is the highest since the second week of May, when it recorded 47.0%.

The Democratic Party's support rate increased significantly in Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong (up 5.7 percentage points, from 44.0% to 49.7%), Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (up 4.5 percentage points, from 38.2% to 42.7%), and Seoul (up 4.5 percentage points, from 43.4% to 47.9%). Additionally, there was a notable rise in support among those in their 30s (up 12.6 percentage points, from 34.1% to 46.7%) and 40s (up 9.9 percentage points, from 53.9% to 63.8%).

Senior Specialist Bae Cheol-ho of Realmeter explained, "Although there were some negative factors such as Leader Lee's prosecution appearance and a stabbing incident at the hunger strike site, the unexpectedly prolonged hunger strike and the resulting consolidation of the support base were clearly visible, recording the highest figure of 46.0% since the second week of May. At the weekend Democratic Party meeting, a resolution was passed to demand the resignation of the entire cabinet and the dismissal of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, forming a strong confrontation line from early this week that is expected to continue through the Chuseok public opinion battle," he said.

Positive evaluations of President Yoon's state administration dropped by 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 35.5%. Positive evaluations of President Yoon's administration have fluctuated slightly in the mid-to-high 30% range since the second week of August (38.3%→35.6%→37.6%→35.4%→36.7%→35.5%). Negative evaluations rose by 1.9 percentage points to 61.8%.

For more details, please refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.