"No Hope for the Presidential Election"... Unrecovered Unfavorability Even One Month Before the Vote

Lee and Yoon Both Have 58% Unfavorability Rate
Kim Jong-in: "Whoever Wins Will Face the Same Bleak End"
"Votes Will Split Depending on Which Risk Is More Serious"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] "There is no sense of expectation for the candidates."

With less than a month remaining until the presidential election, there are still quite a few voters who say they have "not decided which candidate to vote for" or "have no intention to vote at all." Amid a flood of various allegations against the leading presidential candidates during the campaign and the absence of clear pledges that could capture voters' hearts, the election is struggling to shake off the stigma of being the "most disliked presidential election in history."

Im, a worker in his 30s, said he does not feel inclined to vote for either Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, or Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party's candidate. He said, "In Lee's case, from the Daejang-dong scandal to the recent risks involving his spouse, I simply cannot trust his morality," and "Yoon also lost trust due to his numerous verbal slips and his gender-related remarks that seemed to divide people by sex."

Im also said he does not want to vote for Ahn Cheol-soo of the People’s Party or Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party. He said, "Since the parties to which these two candidates belong have few seats, I doubt whether they can properly realize their goals even if elected," adding, "This is the first time I have had to agonize so much over a presidential election."

Like Im, there are many undecided voters who have not yet decided which candidate to support ahead of the election. One in five voters indicated they might change their preferred candidate after watching the upcoming presidential candidate TV debates. According to a survey conducted by Kantar Korea on behalf of Seoul Economy from the 8th to 9th, targeting 1,008 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, 23.1% responded that they might change their preferred candidate after watching the second TV debate. Meanwhile, 73.4% said they would continue to support their candidate, and 3.5% were unsure or did not respond.

The unfavorable ratings for this election’s candidates remain high. According to the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted from the 7th to 9th by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research targeting 1,007 adult men and women nationwide, Lee and Yoon both had unfavorable ratings of 58%. Ahn had 47%, and Sim had 57%. Favorability ratings were 39% for Lee, 40% for Yoon, 48% for Ahn, and 37% for Sim. Except for Ahn, all candidates had higher unfavorable ratings than favorable ones. Notably, Lee and Yoon, despite being the leading candidates in terms of support, had the highest unfavorable ratings.

On the 3rd, a presidential candidate TV debate jointly hosted by the three terrestrial broadcasters was held at the KBS studio in Seoul. From the left, Sim Sang-jung of the Justice Party, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, Yoon Seok-youl of the People Power Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party are taking a commemorative photo before the debate.

The main reason for the high unfavorable ratings of the two major party candidates is widely analyzed as a lack of trust in their morality and qualifications due to ongoing allegations and controversies surrounding them. Lee has been under fire from the opposition and public opinion daily, following the Daejang-dong development project preferential treatment allegations, his spouse Kim Hye-kyung’s excessive protocol, and allegations of misuse of corporate credit cards.

Kim herself appeared on the 9th to issue a public apology, but it was criticized as lacking substance to resolve the allegations, as she avoided direct answers to specific questions. Although the allegations concern Kim, many point out that since the incidents occurred at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government while Lee was governor, he cannot escape responsibility.

Yoon has also been embroiled in various controversies throughout the campaign. In particular, his pledges to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the gender quota system have drawn criticism for stirring gender conflicts among the sensitive 20s and 30s age groups. He has also sparked controversy with remarks that seemed out of touch with public sentiment, such as appearing unfamiliar with housing subscription systems and recently suggesting that high schools, already divided by function, should be further divided into technical, arts, and science high schools. Additionally, his spouse Kim Geon-hee faces negative factors due to allegations of false credentials, plagiarism, and stock manipulation related to Deutsch Motors.

As a result, some express pessimism, saying, "No matter who the candidate is, there is no sense of expectation." On the 10th, at the publication event for his book "Why Presidents Fail," former People Power Party general election committee chairman Kim Jong-in predicted, "One of the two major party candidates will be elected anyway, but whichever it is, the country's future looks bleak."

Kim said, "All the current candidates claim, 'I will be different from past presidents,' but they will all meet the same fate," adding, "For some, their family and ideological groups will act as gatekeepers, while for others, some close aides will play that role."

Experts analyzed that this election has remained a choice of the lesser evil rather than the best option. Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Even with less than a month left until the election, there are many undecided voters. This essentially means that the candidates have not sufficiently met the public's expectations," adding, "Depending on which risks of the two candidates voters consider more serious, the undecided votes will likely split accordingly."

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