According to Gallup Korea, the Democratic Party has a support rate of 36% while the People Power Party stands at 39%. Despite the recent capture situation involving President Yoon Suk-yeol, the party has failed to absorb support through party approval ratings. Experts suggest that amid this chaos, the government needs to demonstrate reliability in its state affairs.
The Democratic Party is troubled as its support rate, which had risen following the December 3 Martial Law Incident, has recently plummeted. The first opinion poll reflecting the capture of President Yoon by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials shows the People Power Party leading within the margin of error, heightening the sense of crisis. Within the party, where many viewed the poor ratings during the impeachment scenario as an over-sampling of conservative interests, there is a growing call for self-reflection.
According to Gallup Korea, a survey conducted from the 14th to the 16th of the month on 1,001 people nationwide aged 18 and older shows the Democratic Party’s support rate at 36%, a drop of 12 percentage points from just a month ago. In a survey announced last week, the rate stood the same at 36%. The latest survey, reflecting public opinion following President Yoon’s capture on the 15th, failed to boost the rating. Meanwhile, the People Power Party rose by 15 percentage points to 39%, up from 24% a month ago, leading within the margin of error (95% confidence level with a ±3.1 percentage point sample error).
Within the Democratic Party, there is growing concern that they are not reaping the benefits from the impeachment crisis. A senior party member emphasized the need to show governance capabilities in this chaotic situation, stating that they must provide trust that they can oversee state affairs. The party should focus on the livelihood and economy rather than harsh rhetoric, noting that the public, having experienced an impeachment once, is looking beyond it.
There is also criticism against interpreting the public’s support for President Yoon’s impeachment as support for the Democratic Party. A Democratic Party figure warned against assuming that those in favor of impeachment automatically support the party, and cautioned against dismissing the drop in support as merely due to the consolidation of far-right forces.
Other figures cautioned against misreading public opposition to the president’s impeachment as carte blanche for the Democratic Party. They emphasized that the party must propose concrete actions and plans to avoid falling into the trap set by the ruling party, which frames the situation as focused solely on impeachment and special investigations.
Polling experts analyze that negative sentiment towards the Democratic Party’s rhetoric of successive impeachments and pressure against investigative bodies post the passing of President Yoon’s impeachment bill has affected approval ratings. Eom Kyeong-young, head of the Zeitgeist Institute, pointed out the reflection of attempts to pass unilateral legislation and special investigations. Park Dong-won, CEO of Policom, noted that the impeachment phase seems to be transitioning into an election mode, perceiving the Democratic Party’s response as excessive.
Additionally, with discussions on the possibility of an early presidential election, it is expected that the tight competition in approval ratings between the ruling and opposition parties will continue. Park expressed that the impeachment trial will proceed independently, predicting ongoing changes in public opinion regarding who can govern stably. Eom mentioned the potential for the rise of the People Power Party, with President Yoon likely to continue challenges with the Constitutional Court, suggesting that their consolidation may intensify. He also indicated that skepticism towards Representative Lee Jae-myung from moderates and the non-affiliated could increase.