Life Sentence Expected by Those in Their 20s, Death Penalty by Those in Their 40s to 60s
83% in Gwangju and the Jeolla Region Say "Kim Keonhee's First-Trial Ruling Was Inappropriate"
A survey found that three out of four Korean citizens believe former President Yoon Sukyeol should be sentenced to death or life imprisonment.
According to the results of a public opinion poll commissioned by MBC and conducted by polling agency Korea Research International on the 17th, 75% of respondents expected a heavy sentence in the first-instance ruling for former President Yoon.
The largest share of respondents, 43%, said, "Some of the insurrection charges will be upheld and he is likely to receive a life sentence." This was followed by 32% who answered, "Most of the insurrection charges will be upheld and he is likely to receive the death penalty." Only 18% responded, "The insurrection charges will not be upheld and he is likely to be acquitted."
By age group, among those in their late teens to twenties (18 to 29), who are known to be relatively more supportive of the former president, 55% expected a life sentence, the highest expectation for a life sentence among all age groups.
In contrast, those in their forties (44%) and those in their fifties and sixties (39% each) showed a higher share expecting the death penalty. The main groups that most expected a death sentence were residents of Gwangju and the Jeolla region (51%), those with a progressive political orientation (52%), and supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea (51%).
Those who expected an acquittal stood out among people aged 70 and older (28%), residents of the Daegu and North Gyeongsang region (29%), and supporters of the People Power Party (53%).
As for the ruling on Kim Keonhee, who was recently sentenced to one year and eight months in prison after some of the charges of receiving money and valuables from the Unification Church were upheld, there was strong critical public opinion that the sentence was inappropriate. While 71% of respondents said the first-instance ruling was "inappropriate," only 23% said it was "appropriate."
The view that the first-instance result was inappropriate was particularly pronounced among those in their forties (79%), residents of Gwangju and the Jeolla region (83%), residents of Gangwon and Jeju (86%), and those with a progressive political orientation (89%).
The assessment that it was "appropriate" was relatively more noticeable among those aged 18 to 29 (30%), those aged 70 and older (31%), supporters of the People Power Party (52%), and those with a conservative political orientation (43%).
Regarding the sentence of 23 years in prison handed down in the first-instance ruling to former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, 59% of respondents said the sentence was appropriate, exceeding a majority. Those who said it was inappropriate accounted for 36%.
This poll was conducted by Korea Research International at the request of MBC. It was carried out over three days from the 11th to the 13th, through telephone interviews using virtual (safe) mobile phone numbers provided by the three major domestic telecommunications companies, targeting men and women aged 18 and older residing nationwide. Of 8,318 people contacted, 1,000 responded, resulting in a response rate of 12%. The margin of sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
