[Polpol News] Yoon Approval Rating Hits Lowest at 25% Since Inauguration... 65% Support 'Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act'

Yoon Approval Rating Falls Below Half Even in TK
Majority Support for Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Bill Across All Age Groups Except '70 and Above'

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating has dropped to 25%, marking the lowest point since his inauguration, according to a recent public opinion poll.

The nationwide index survey (NBS), conducted from the 23rd to the 25th by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research, surveyed 1,005 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide. It showed that 25% of respondents evaluated President Yoon's administration as "doing well," while 69% said it was "doing poorly."

The positive evaluation fell by 2 percentage points compared to the previous survey conducted three weeks ago, while the negative evaluation rose by 3 percentage points. Notably, the negative rating has been rapidly increasing, surpassing the previous high of 60% recorded in the second week of August.

Even in the TK region (Daegu and Gyeongbuk), known for its strong conservative support, 39% gave a positive evaluation of President Yoon's administration, while 51% gave a negative evaluation, with the negative rating exceeding half.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the passage of the "Kim Geon-hee Special Prosecutor Act" in the National Assembly plenary session, which targets investigations into stock manipulation and nomination interference allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Geon-hee, 65% of respondents supported the special prosecutor law, compared to 24% who opposed it.

Support for the special prosecutor law was observed across all age groups except those aged 70 and above. In particular, 84% of respondents aged 40 to 49 supported the special prosecutor investigation into Kim Geon-hee, while only 12% opposed it.

On the other hand, regarding the prosecution's investigation into preferential employment allegations involving former President Moon Jae-in's former son-in-law, 47% responded that it was a "political investigation aimed at suppressing the former president," while 37% said it was a "legitimate investigation into corruption crimes."

In terms of party support, the People Power Party received 28%, and the Democratic Party of Korea 26%. The Justice Innovation Party (12%), Reform New Party (4%), and Progressive Party (1%) followed. These figures are similar to those from the first week of September.

Only 22% responded that the People Power Party is performing well as the ruling party, a 13 percentage point drop compared to the third week of March. Meanwhile, 35% said the Democratic Party is performing well as the main opposition party, unchanged from the third week of March.

This survey was conducted via telephone interviews using virtual phone numbers (100%) provided by the three major domestic telecommunications companies. The response rate was 15.2% (confidence level 95%, sampling error ±3.1 percentage points). Detailed information can be found on the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.