Ahn Cheol-soo: "Lee Jae-myung Maintains 28% Approval Despite Impeachment... People Don't Trust the Opposition"

"The PPP's Approval Ratings Are a Reflection of the Democratic Party's Losses"

People Power Party (PPP) lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo explained that the PPP's rise in approval ratings surpassing the Democratic Party in a recent poll is "not because the PPP did well," but rather "due to the public's widespread distrust of the Democratic Party."

On the 17th, during CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Ahn said, "While an overwhelming majority of the public views President Yoon Seok-yeol's martial law as wrong, there is also a question mark when asked whether the Democratic Party has done well."

Regarding the survey on suitability for the next president, where PPP leader Lee Jae-myung ranked first with 28%, Ahn pointed out, "The fact that Lee's approval rating did not exceed 30% during the impeachment and martial law phases suggests that the rating is not particularly high," adding, "The Democratic Party must also be deeply concerned." He argued, "Many people are dissatisfied with the ruling party, but this also indicates a lack of trust in the opposition," attributing this to "the opposition's excessive legislative power and frequent impeachment attempts shaking the separation of powers."

Ahn Cheol-soo, member of the People Power Party. Photo by Yonhap News

He also urged that judicial proceedings against Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung should be carried out swiftly.

Ahn stated, "Various situations such as detention regarding President Yoon are progressing rapidly, and the same should apply to Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung," emphasizing, "This would demonstrate that both the president and the opposition leader are being treated fairly under the constitution and the rule of law." He added, "According to the 633 principle in election law, the first trial should be completed within six months, and the second and final trials within three months each," noting, "Since the first trial for Lee was held on November 15 last year, the second trial should be by February 15, and the final trial by May 15."

Meanwhile, the poll Ahn referred to was the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from the 13th to the 15th, surveying 1,005 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide. In this survey, the third week of January party support was recorded as 35% for the PPP and 33% for the Democratic Party. This is the first time in about four months since the fourth week of September last year (PPP 28%, Democratic Party 26%) that the PPP's support rate has surpassed that of the Democratic Party.

In the same survey, suitability for the next president was ranked as follows: Lee Jae-myung 28%, Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo 13%, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo 8%, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon 6%, and former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon 5%.

The survey was conducted via telephone interviews using 100% mobile phone virtual numbers, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 19.6%. For more details, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.