[Polpol News] First Gallup Survey After Yoon's Dismissal... Lee Jae-myung 37%, Kim Moon-soo 9%

Han Duck-soo Named for the First Time with 2% Support
Party Approval Ratings: Democratic Party 41%, People Power Party 30%

After the impeachment of former President Yoon Seok-yeol, support for former Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung reached its highest level. Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was named as a potential next presidential candidate for the first time.

According to a public opinion poll released by Gallup Korea on the 11th (conducted from the 8th to the 10th, targeting 1,005 people aged 18 and over nationwide via wireless phone interviews, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and a response rate of 14.9%), 37% of respondents chose former leader Lee as the next presidential candidate. This result matches the one recorded immediately after the National Assembly passed the impeachment motion against former President Yoon (third week of December 2024). This is the highest presidential support rating Lee has received in Gallup Korea surveys.

In this open-ended survey, former Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo received 9%, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo 5%, and former People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon 4%. Notably, Acting President Han recorded 2% support, alongside Lee Jun-seok of the Reform New Party, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, and People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo. This is the first time that career bureaucrat Han has been named as a next presidential candidate.

There were also changes in party support following former President Yoon’s impeachment. While the Democratic Party maintained its 41% support from the previous week, the People Power Party’s support dropped by 5 percentage points to 30%. The gap between the two major parties’ support levels exceeded the margin of error.

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