"Yoon's Approval Rating at 20%, Same as Last Week"… Lee Jae-myung Trial, Fair 43% vs Unfair 42% [Polpol News]

Despite Lee Jae-myung's First Trial Guilty Verdict,
President and Party Approval Ratings Show Little Change

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating for his administration remained at 20% for the second consecutive week. Despite political events such as the first trial guilty verdict for Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, there was little change in both the president's approval rating and party support ratings. Public opinion on Lee's trial was also sharply divided.

According to a public opinion poll released on the 22nd by Gallup Korea (conducted from the 19th to the 21st via telephone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide aged 18 and over, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 11.6%), President Yoon's approval rating was surveyed at 20%, the same as last week. However, the disapproval rating rose by 1 percentage point to 72%.

Yonhap News

President Yoon's approval rating was 59% only among supporters of the ruling People Power Party, while among those aged 70 and above (positive 45% vs. negative 41%) and conservative-leaning groups (positive 44% vs. negative 49%), positive and negative views were almost evenly split.

Party support ratings also showed little change. Support for the People Power Party rose by 1 percentage point to 28%, while the Democratic Party remained at 34%, the same as last week.

Regarding the verdict on Lee Jae-myung, 43% of the public viewed it as a fair judgment, while 42% saw it as unjust political persecution. Opinions on the trial outcome were clearly divided along political lines. Among People Power Party supporters (86%) and conservatives (76%), the verdict was seen as 'a fair judgment.' Conversely, among Democratic Party supporters (79%) and progressives (71%), the dominant view was that it was 'unjust political persecution.' Among moderates (fair 38% vs. unjust 43%), opinions were split.

For more details on the poll, please refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.