[Polpol News] "6 out of 10 say President Yoon should be impeached"... Decline in Constitutional Court trust

Gallup Poll Results
57% Support Impeachment vs. 38% Oppose
52% Trust the Constitutional Court

Six out of ten citizens expected the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol to be upheld. As the People Power Party and President Yoon's legal team raised procedural issues against the Constitutional Court judging the impeachment, trust in the court declined.

According to a public opinion poll released on the 14th by Gallup (conducted nationwide from the 11th to 13th among 1,004 people aged 18 and over via 100% wireless telephone interviews, with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points, and a response rate of 16.1%), 59% of respondents expected the impeachment to be upheld regardless of their personal support or opposition to the impeachment of President Yoon. Thirty-two percent expected it to be dismissed.

Regarding whether they supported or opposed the impeachment, 57% of respondents said they supported it, while 38% said they opposed it. Compared to the survey conducted in the fourth week of January before the Lunar New Year holiday, support for impeachment fell by 2 percentage points, and opposition increased by 2 percentage points.

Among those who supported the impeachment (577 respondents, open-ended), reasons cited included 'declaration of martial law' (30%), 'constitutional violation/illegal' (10%), 'rebellion' (9%), and 'lack of state governance ability/mismanagement' (7%). Among those who opposed the impeachment (385 respondents, open-ended), reasons included 'because of the opposition party (Democratic Party)/obstruction/impeachment for political reasons' (37%), 'martial law is legitimate/president's inherent authority' (13%), and 'not grounds for impeachment' (10%).

Among those who supported impeachment, 90% expected it to be upheld, while among those who opposed it, only 74% expected the impeachment to be dismissed, showing a contrast.

As the ruling party's offensive against the Constitutional Court continued, trust in the court declined. The percentage of respondents who trusted the Constitutional Court was 52%, down 5 percentage points compared to the survey conducted in the second week of January (7th?9th). Those who did not trust the court rose by 9 percentage points to 40%. In particular, distrust increased significantly among those opposing impeachment. Among those opposing impeachment, 84% expressed distrust, an increase of 20 percentage points from 64% in the second week of January.

Regarding party support rates, the People Power Party's support rose by 1 percentage point to 39%, while the Democratic Party's support fell by 2 percentage points to 38%. In a future political leader survey asking about the next president, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, ranked first with 34%. Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor, ranked second with 12%, topping the ruling party. Following were Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party, Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, and Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, each with 5%. Regarding the nature of the next presidential term, 40% agreed with the theory of regime continuation, meaning the current administration would be extended, while 51% supported regime change, meaning the opposition party should win the presidential election.

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