[AKYUNG Poll] 7 out of 10 Citizens Say "Prosecution Service Lacks Investigation Expertise and Independence"

Lack of Expertise and Neutrality
No Ideological Bias or Regional Disparity
65% of Democratic Party Supporters Also Find It Inadequate

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] It has been revealed that 7 out of 10 citizens perceive the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (Gong-su-cheo) as lacking in investigative expertise and political neutrality. This public opinion appears to have been influenced by the recent controversy over communication data inquiries. Such negative perceptions were evenly observed regardless of ideological orientation, gender, or political party support.

In this survey, 68.8% of respondents expressed a negative view of Gong-su-cheo's activities. Only 13.8% evaluated that it had significance in prosecutorial reform and the introduction of human rights-friendly investigations. Those who answered "don't know" accounted for 17.5%. There was no significant variation by ideological orientation. Among respondents who identified as "progressive," 68.3% said Gong-su-cheo's activities were inadequate, while 21.2% said they were meaningful. For "moderates," the responses for "inadequate" and "meaningful" were 72.3% and 11.2%, respectively, and for "conservatives," 75% and 9.5%. Notably, 64.9% of those who support the Democratic Party of Korea also answered "inadequate." Among People Power Party supporters, 77.8% said "inadequate," and 4.6% said "meaningful."

On the 31st, members of the People Power Party attending the party meeting at the National Assembly held placards condemning the series of incidents related to the Corruption Investigation Office's telecommunication data inquiries and shouted slogans. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Similar trends were observed by gender and region. Among males, 72.9% said "inadequate" and 14.7% said "meaningful," while among females, the figures were 64.7% and 12.9%, respectively. By region, the responses for "inadequate" and "meaningful" were as follows: Seoul 70.5%, 12.7%; Gyeonggi·Incheon 71.7%, 11.3%; Daejeon·Sejong·Chungcheong 68.7%, 14.1%; Daegu·Gyeongbuk 67.3%, 15.9%; Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam 67.0%, 14.6%; Gwangju·Jeonbuk·Jeonnam 63.9%, 18.6%; Gangwon·Jeju 59.9%, 17.2%.

Launched in January last year, Gong-su-cheo investigates high-ranking officials of grade 3 or above and their families. However, controversy arose when it was revealed that communication information of non-investigation targets such as journalists, their families, and members of political parties including the People Power Party had also been accessed. The inquiries reportedly concentrated between October and November. In response to the controversy, Gong-su-cheo issued a statement saying, "Even if the investigation procedures were lawful and necessary for investigative purposes, we will thoroughly examine whether there is any excessive infringement of constitutional fundamental rights or any elements that could cause public misunderstanding."

Kim Jin-wook, Chief of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, is passing by the members of the People Power Party holding a party meeting in front of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting room on the 30th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

This survey was conducted by Asia Economy through Win-G Korea Consulting from the 28th to 29th of last month targeting nationwide voters aged 18 and above, with 1,009 respondents and an overall response rate of 10.7%. The survey method was 100% mobile phone virtual number and telephone interviews. The sample was extracted with weighted values (cell weighting) by gender, age, and region based on the resident registration population as of the end of January 2021 from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The sampling error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For detailed survey information, please refer to the Win-G Korea Consulting website or the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.