Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Opposition leader tops poll as Korea braces for Yoon's impeachment ruling
Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a Supreme Council meeting held near Gwanghwamun in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-soo
57% of Korean voters expect transition of power to liberal leader
A poll released Monday showed that Rep. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), remains the most favored candidate in the event of a snap presidential election.
The same poll showed that the DPK's approval rating surpassed that of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) as the nation braces for the Constitutional Court’s ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment. While the top court has yet to announce the date for its verdict, legal experts predict it could be delivered later this month.
According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,510 adults, 49.5 percent of respondents supported Lee as a president in the future, followed by Labor Minister Kim Moon-soo at 16.3 percent and Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo at 7.1 percent. Former PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s approval ratings stood at 6.7 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.
“Lee is maintaining a commanding lead in the latest poll with nearly 50 percent support. His approval rating rose after his acquittal in the appellate trial on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act,” Realmeter said.
“Among ruling party presidential hopefuls, Hong and Han saw slight increases in their approval ratings from the week before. However, Oh’s approval rating fell due to a controversy surrounding the designation of three districts in Seoul as areas requiring government permission for home transactions.”
Lee was found not guilty of violating the election law on Wednesday, in a ruling that could eliminate the long-standing legal risks he has faced from criminal allegations.
Experts said the acquittal will allow Lee to tighten his grip on the party and help strengthen his leadership.
“After Lee’s acquittal, the DPK would feel the burden lifted and place him as the party's presidential candidate,” political commentator Park Sang-byeong said.
Lee was also considered a front-runner among liberal politicians, with other potential candidates including Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Dong-yeon, former prime ministers Lee Nak-yon and Kim Boo-kyum and former South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo. However, none of the four garnered more than 1.8 percent support.
“From the PPP, there is a high possibility that Hong and Han will face off against Lee considering various factors including whether they have the potential to expand to attract moderate voters," Park said.
Police maintain strict security in front of the Constitutional Court in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
The Realmeter poll also found that 47.3 percent of respondents expressed support for the DPK, an increase from 43.6 percent the previous week. In contrast, 36.1 percent indicated support for the PPP, a decrease from 40 percent.
The survey suggested that more than half of Koreans favored the transition of power to a liberal leader if a snap election takes place in the case of a verdict that upholds Yoon's impeachment. If Yoon is ousted over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, the nation will be required to hold a snap presidential election within 60 days.
Asked which political party they would prefer to win the next presidency, 37.8 percent of respondents said they would support the current conservative party, while 57.1 percent favored one of the opposition parties.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points with a confidence rate of 95 percent.