Gap in support for rival parties narrows to within margin of error
Published: 24 Jan. 2025, 13:11
Updated: 26 Jan. 2025, 16:08
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
![President Yoon Suk Yeol sits in the main chamber of the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, during his impeachment trial hearing on Jan. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/26/faeacd47-fa36-4eea-bf4c-7070cbb933d2.jpg)
President Yoon Suk Yeol sits in the main chamber of the Constitutional Court in Jongno District, central Seoul, during his impeachment trial hearing on Jan. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Public support for rival parties has grown competitive, with the gap in poll numbers now within the margin of error, according to a recent survey released by Gallup Korea on Friday.
The survey, which polled 1,000 adults aged 18 and over from Tuesday to Thursday, showed a one percentage point decline in support for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol’s People Power Party (PPP), dropping to 38 percent, while support for the liberal Democratic Party (DP) rose by four percentage points to 40 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points and a response rate of 16.4 percent.
In its analysis, Gallup Korea noted the current partisan divide differs from the trends seen during the impeachment trial of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.
According to the pollster, support for the Saenuri Party — now the PPP — hovered between 29 and 34 percent after the April general election in 2016 but plummeted to as low as 12 percent following controversies over state affairs manipulation.
"Support for the PPP has shown notable patterns during political events such as general elections, presidential elections and party conventions," the pollster said.
"Amid heightened conflict between political blocs over the recent execution of an arrest warrant for Yoon, repeated messages from the president and the ruling party aimed at their supporters appear to have played a role."
Support for the DP peaked at 48 percent in the third week of December following Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law and suspension of his duties. However, the figure fell to 36 percent last week.
The minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party garnered support from 3 percent of respondents, while 15 percent expressed no preference for any party.
![Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, center, visits the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 24, ahead of the six-day Lunar New Year holiday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/26/6805e964-a390-483e-bd05-3cab66dbb827.jpg)
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, center, visits the Express Bus Terminal in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 24, ahead of the six-day Lunar New Year holiday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
When asked about preferences for Korea’s next president, 31 percent of respondents favored DP leader Lee Jae-myung, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo at 11 percent, former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon at 5 percent, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo at 4 percent and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon at 3 percent.
In the same poll, 40 percent of respondents said they want conservatives to retain power, while 50 percent said they would prefer a candidate from the liberal bloc to lead the next government.
Gallup also found support for Yoon’s impeachment rose by two percentage points to 59 percent following his official arrest on Sunday, while opposition remained unchanged at 36 percent.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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