55% Support Impeachment of President Yoon... Court Cancels Detention, Return Prospects Increase [Polpol News]

NBS Public Opinion Survey
No Major Change in Views on Impeachment, but Outlook Has Shifted
54% of Respondents Say They Will Accept Constitutional Court's Decision Even If They Disagree

A public opinion survey revealed that the outlook on the impeachment trial has significantly changed since the court canceled the arrest of President Yoon Seok-yeol. While public opinion on whether President Yoon should be impeached has not changed much, the expectation that the Constitutional Court will dismiss the impeachment trial has greatly increased.

According to the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from the 10th to the 12th by Embrain Public, K-STATS Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research (a telephone interview survey of 1,000 men and women aged 18 and older nationwide, with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 21.1%), 55% of respondents said that President Yoon should be removed from office by accepting the impeachment, while 39% said the impeachment should be dismissed and he should be reinstated.

Compared to last week's survey, the approval and removal opinion decreased by 1 percentage point, while the dismissal and reinstatement opinion increased by 2 percentage points. Among the moderate group (political orientation), which determines the direction of public opinion, 67% supported approval and removal, and 25% supported dismissal and reinstatement.

President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was released from Seoul Detention Center, is seen raising his hand to supporters as he gets out of the car in front of the residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Yonhap News

However, regardless of their personal stance, public opinion on the outlook of the impeachment trial fluctuated significantly. The expectation for approval and removal was 53%, while dismissal and reinstatement was 38%. Compared to last week, the approval and removal expectation decreased by 9 percentage points, and the dismissal and reinstatement expectation increased by 10 percentage points. After the court canceled President Yoon's arrest on procedural grounds, the public's perception of the impeachment trial also changed.

However, public opinion was not greatly affected regarding President Yoon's response to the impeachment trial. Positive evaluations were 37%, and negative evaluations were 57%. Positive evaluations increased by 3 percentage points compared to last week, while negative evaluations decreased by 1 percentage point.

Regarding the Constitutional Court, 51% of respondents said they trust it, while 45% said they do not.

When asked whether they would accept the Constitutional Court's ruling, 54% of respondents said they would accept it even if it differed from their opinion. However, 42% said they would not accept it if it differed from their opinion. Among those who said the impeachment should be approved and the president removed, 59% said they would accept the ruling regardless of the outcome. However, 42% of this group said they would not accept it. Among those who said the impeachment should be dismissed and the president reinstated, 51% said they would not accept it if the ruling differed from their opinion, while 46% said they would accept it even if it differed.

In the suitability for the next presidential candidate, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, ranked first with 31%. He was followed by Kim Moon-soo, Minister of Employment and Labor (11%), Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu (7%), Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul (6%), and Han Dong-hoon, former leader of the People Power Party (5%). Regarding the next presidential election landscape, 47% supported regime change, while 42% supported regime continuation. Support for regime change decreased by 1 percentage point from the previous week, while support for regime continuation increased by 3 percentage points.

Party support was 38% for the People Power Party, up 4 percentage points from last week, and 36% for the Democratic Party, up 1 percentage point.

Regarding reform of the National Pension Service, 59% supported structural reform, while 28% supported parametric reform. Regarding the direction of National Pension reform, 44% supported strengthening fiscal stability, while 36% supported strengthening retirement income security.

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