[Yongsan Report] Presidential Office Buzzing Over Polls... 'Encouraged' by Party Approval Ratings

People Power Party Approval Rating Rises by 10 Percentage Points to 34%
Daegu and Gyeongbuk Show Even Split on Impeachment at 47% Each

"Right after the 12·3 emergency martial law incident, the atmosphere was such that no one could even utter a word, but recently, it has been gradually regaining vitality."

Following the backlash from President Yoon Seok-yeol's emergency martial law, the presidential office, which had virtually lost all momentum, has recently shown a quiet but steady approach. Unlike the atmosphere at the end of last year, when it consistently remained silent and was passive in responding to the media, it is now known that active discussions on current issues are taking place daily, centered around the chief secretary tea time chaired by Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok. There have also been dispatches of presidential office staff returning from the education and international organization sectors to assist Choi Sang-mok, the acting prime minister and minister of strategy and finance. Additionally, some civil servants who had long served in the presidential office have been reassigned back to their respective ministries.

The changed atmosphere in the presidential office is said to be largely influenced by the recent rise in the People Power Party's approval ratings in public opinion polls. Although some polls have faced credibility controversies regarding their methodology and response rates, a consensus has formed that the People Power Party's support is on the rise, creating an encouraging mood among the aides.

Yongsan, which had been cautious and issued no comments on poll results after the martial law, has also changed. A presidential office official questioned, "The conservative base has rallied due to the opposition party's repeated impeachment attempts and reckless actions, and the public seems to have formed a consensus that the Democratic Party caused the impeachment."

According to a Gallup Korea poll conducted from the 7th to the 9th (nationwide survey of 1,004 people aged 18 and over using wireless phone interviewers, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 16.3%), 64% of respondents supported the impeachment of President Yoon following the emergency martial law and subsequent impeachment motion by the National Assembly on the 3rd of last month. Those opposing impeachment accounted for 32%. While support for impeachment was generally dominant, Daegu and Gyeongbuk showed a tie at 47% each. By generation, those in their 60s and 70s voiced more opposition to impeachment. Compared to a poll conducted earlier last month (December 10?12), support for impeachment decreased by 11 percentage points, while opposition increased by 11 percentage points.

Party approval ratings showed significant changes. In the poll conducted three weeks later, the Democratic Party's support dropped by 12 percentage points to 36%, while the People Power Party's support rose by 10 percentage points to 34%. This is interpreted as a result of the political instability following the impeachment crisis and the re-consolidation of the People Power Party's base. Um Kyung-young, director of the Era Spirit Research Institute, commented, "It appears that conservative opinions are being overrepresented. While it is important not to overinterpret, the changes in party approval ratings are something the opposition party should closely watch."

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