Close Aide Arrested and Refusal of Policy Speech Lead to Standoff... Gallup Reports Both President Yoon and Democratic Party Support Rates Rising

President Yoon's Approval Rating Up 3% to 30%
Democratic Party's Approval Rating Up 2% to 35%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Amid the arrest of a close aide to Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, the tense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties?including the main opposition party's refusal to attend the president's policy speech on the budget?both President Yoon Suk-yeol and the Democratic Party's approval ratings have risen, according to recent surveys. Analysts interpret this as reflecting public desire for both ruling and opposition parties to focus on livelihood issues amid economic crisis situations such as the bond market turmoil.

According to Gallup's regular survey conducted from the 25th to the 27th (via telephone interviews with 1,001 adults nationwide aged 18 and over), 30% of respondents positively evaluated President Yoon's performance as "doing well," while 62% gave a negative evaluation of "doing poorly." Compared to last week's survey, his approval rating rose by 3 percentage points, and the disapproval rating fell by 3 percentage points. The president's approval increased notably among those aged 70 and above (from 52% to 63%) and among supporters of the People Power Party (from 64% to 69%).

In this context of rising presidential approval, the Democratic Party's approval rating also increased. The Democratic Party's support stood at 35%, surpassing the People Power Party's 33%, making it the highest among political parties. This represents a 2 percentage point increase from last week's survey.

The Democratic Party's approval rose among those in their 20s (ages 18?29, from 25% to 32%) and among progressive-leaning respondents (from 62% to 66%) compared to the previous survey.

Despite the tense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties?highlighted by the arrest of Lee’s close aide Kim Yong, deputy director of the Democratic Research Institute, and the Democratic Party's boycott of President Yoon's policy speech?public opinion remains evenly divided. Analysts suggest this reflects consolidation within each party's support base.

However, some analyses indicate that reactions to the economic crisis, including bond market confusion, have influenced these trends. The government's injection of 50 trillion won plus additional liquidity, President Yoon's emergency economic and livelihood meetings, and the opposition's active voice on the bond market crisis have all impacted approval ratings. For example, the Democratic Party's support among upper-middle and upper-class income groups rose from 31% to 37%, a 6 percentage point increase.

Polling expert Kim Bong-shin, CEO of Metavoice, explained, "Among the elderly, there are asset holders, and the government's move to ease financial conditions may have contributed to the rise in President Yoon's approval rating," adding, "The overall public opinion trend reflects a desire for both ruling and opposition parties to quickly address livelihood issues."

For detailed survey methodology and results related to this poll, please refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission's website.

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