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Koreans overwhelmingly want economic recovery in wake of political upheaval

Published: 10 Jun. 2025, 15:28 Updated: 11 Jun. 2025, 17:59

President Lee Jae-myung salutes the national flag during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on June 10. [YONHAP]

The past six months were turbulent and full of political upheaval — the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, the early presidential election on June 3 and the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration.

Now, the Korean public overwhelmingly wants the new government to focus on overcoming the economic crisis.

According to a web survey of 1,500 adults conducted by Hankook Research from last Wednesday to Saturday, commissioned by the Institute for Future Strategy at Seoul National University, 47 percent of respondents said the top priority for the new government should be resolving the economic crisis. The poll had a response rate of 40.2 percent.

That far outpaced other issues such as uncovering the truth behind the martial law incident and punishing those responsible at 16 percent, national unity at 15 percent, strengthening national security at 6 percent, restoring political compromise at 4 percent and constitutional and political reform at 3 percent.

Support for prioritizing the economy transcended political lines, with 48 percent of progressives and 46 percent of conservatives naming it their No. 1 concern.

Progressives ranked truth-finding and punishment over the martial law crisis second at 28 percent, while conservatives placed greater importance on national unity at 21 percent. Among moderates, the rankings were: economic recovery at 47 percent, martial law accountability at 15 percent and national unity at 14 percent.

When respondents were asked to choose a second priority, support for economic recovery surged. A combined 75 percent selected economic recovery as either their first or second priority, followed by national unity at 34 percent, martial law accountability at 28 percent and national security at 17 percent.

The emphasis on economic issues stems from a widespread belief that the economy has worsened over the past three years. Asked about economic conditions under the Yoon administration, 74 percent said they had deteriorated (40 percent said they had worsened significantly and 33 percent somewhat). Only 9 percent said they had improved.

Negative views of the economy were strongest among progressives at 88 percent and moderates at 73 percent, but even among conservatives, 62 percent said conditions had worsened.

That pessimism appeared to correlate with views of Yoon’s leadership. On a 0 to 10 scale, his performance received an average score of 2.6.

“The public’s discontent over Yoon’s mishandling of the economic crisis — just as much as the martial law and impeachment scandals — explains the spread of negative perceptions,” said Gil Jung-ah, a research professor at Korea University’s Institute of Government Studies.

Looking ahead, 44 percent of respondents said they expect the economy to improve under the Lee administration (7 percent said it will improve greatly, 37 percent somewhat), while 36 percent expect it to deteriorate. Among those who voted for President Lee, 72 percent said the economy would improve. Among those who voted for opposition candidate Kim Moon-soo from the People Power Party (PPP), 61 percent expected the opposite.

“It should be taken into consideration that the survey was conducted immediately after the new administration’s launch, when expectations for recovery were at their peak,” said Park Won-ho, a political science professor at Seoul National University.

When asked what qualities President Lee should exhibit to tackle economic recovery and national unity, the most common response was nonpartisan appointments and inclusive leadership at 35 percent, followed by attentiveness and empathy at 26 percent, swift and bold execution at 16 percent and restoring political dialogue with opposition leaders at 10 percent.

“This shows the public recognizes that overcoming national challenges requires putting an end to political and regional divisions,” Prof. Park added.

In the same survey, 68 percent of respondents said constitutional reform is necessary, more than three times the number who said it isn’t, at 22 percent. Support was stronger among pro-Lee respondents — 77 percent of those who voted for him in the June 3 election and 76 percent of Democratic Party (DP) supporters agreed that reform is needed. Among Kim’s supporters and PPP backers, the figures were 59 percent and 61 percent, respectively.

When asked about the direction of constitutional reform, 53 percent supported reducing presidential power, while 19 percent favored strengthening it. Support for reducing presidential authority was higher among Kim voters and PPP supporters at 59 percent than among Lee voters and DP supporters, at 51 percent.

Lee previously pledged to pursue constitutional changes that would reduce presidential powers and expand the National Assembly’s role. His proposal includes a four-year, two-term presidency and a runoff voting system, as well as parliamentary nomination of the prime minister, transferring the Board of Audit and Inspection to the legislature, limiting presidential veto power and requiring parliamentary approval for emergency decrees and martial law.

Korea’s political system received a failing average score of 4.8 out of 10, where 0 meant “not democratic at all” and 10 meant “very democratic.” Lee voters gave an average of 5.6, and DP supporters 5.7, while Kim supporters gave 3.8 and PPP supporters 3.9.

Satisfaction with different aspects of democracy was even lower: rule of law and equality before the law received 3.5 points, checks and balances 4.0 and civil liberties 5.2. Notably, Kim voters rated rule of law and checks and balances particularly poorly — both at 2.9 points. Even among PPP supporters, those scores were just 3.1. By contrast, Lee voters gave those metrics 3.8 and 4.8 points, and DP supporters 3.9 and 4.8.

“This survey reveals a deep distrust in the law across party lines, and shows that Korea is facing a crisis in rule of law,” said Lee Hyeon-woo, a political science professor at Sogang University.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SON KOOK-HEE,HA JUN-HO [[email protected]]