How much do Koreans trust the courts and Constitutional Court, according to the latest Gallup Korea poll?

Forty-seven percent of respondents distrusted the courts and 41 percent trusted them. For the Constitutional Court, 49 percent expressed trust and 36 percent distrust.

How much public trust do the new Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Service have?

The poll found that 29 percent trusted the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and 49 percent distrusted it. For the Public Prosecution Service, 25 percent expressed trust and 50 percent distrust.

What changed in Korea’s prosecution system when the SCIA and PSS launched?

The reform separated investigative and prosecutorial powers, ending a 78-year arrangement in which the prosecution service held both roles. The Serious Crime Investigation Agency was tasked with handling major crimes.

Nearly half of Koreans say they do not trust courts: survey

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Summary

A Gallup Korea poll conducted from Tuesday to Thursday found that 47 percent of respondents distrusted the courts, while 41 percent trusted them. Trust in the Constitutional Court stood at 49 percent after it upheld former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment over his martial law bid. The poll also found that fewer than 30 percent trusted either of two agencies launched Oct. 2 as part of prosecution reform.

Key Facts

The survey covered 1,001 adults, and distrust of the courts rose 3 percentage points from the previous survey in April last year.
Compared with last year’s survey, trust in the Constitutional Court fell 12 percentage points to 49 percent, while distrust rose 5 points to 36 percent.
Twenty-nine percent of respondents trusted the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, while 49 percent distrusted it.
Twenty-five percent trusted the Public Prosecution Service, while 50 percent distrusted it.
The Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Service were launched Oct. 2, separating investigative and prosecutorial powers after 78 years in which the prosecution service held both roles.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 6, 2026 3:45 pm KST

A pedestrian walks past the Supreme Court, Oct. 5. Yonhap

Nearly 50 percent of Koreans said they do not trust the judiciary, a poll showed Friday, while less than 30 percent expressed trust in two new agencies launched after abolishing the prosecution's investigative right last month.

A Gallup Korea poll, conducted on 1,001 adults from Tuesday to Thursday, showed that 47 percent of the respondents expressed distrust of the courts, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey conducted in April last year.

Forty-one percent said they trusted the courts, down 5 percentage points.

The survey also showed that public trust in the Constitutional Court had declined after the court upheld the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in April last year over his martial law bid.

Compared with last year's survey, 49 percent said they trusted the Constitutional Court, down 12 percentage points, while distrust rose 5 percentage points to 36 percent.

In the same poll, 29 percent said they trusted the Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA), tasked with handling major crimes, compared with 49 percent who did not.

Twenty-five percent expressed trust in the Public Prosecution Service (PSS), while 50 percent expressed distrust.

The SCIA and PSS were launched Oct. 2 as part of a sweeping prosecution reform that separated investigative and prosecutorial powers after 78 years of the prosecution service holding both roles.

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