Majority oppose PM Han Duck-soo's potential presidential run

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attends a task force meeting to discuss economic security strategy at his official residence in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Six out of 10 Korean citizens believe it would be undesirable for acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to run in the upcoming presidential election, according to a recent poll.

The National Barometer Survey (NBS) — conducted by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research from Monday to Wednesday among 1,001 adults aged 18 and older — showed that 66 percent of respondents viewed Han’s candidacy as “undesirable,” far outweighing the 24 percent who found it “desirable.” About 10 percent answered “don’t know” or gave no response.

Breaking down the results by party affiliation, about 91 percent of respondents who identified as supporters of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said Han’s candidacy was "undesirable," while only 4 percent viewed it as "desirable."

In contrast, among supporters of the conservative People Power Party (PPP), 55 percent said it was "desirable," while 38 percent said it was "undesirable."

The NBS survey was conducted through telephone interviews. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level and the response rate was 23.2 percent.

With Han yet to clarify his intentions around a potential presidential run, criticism from both liberals and conservative presidential contenders is intensifying.

Although he did not officially enter the PPP primary, there is increasing speculation that Han may be keeping the option of an independent run open as he continues his political activities and monitors public opinion trends. Some political insiders suggest that if Han later runs as an independent and merges his candidacy with a conservative candidate, it could have a significant impact.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee are seen in their vehicle as they leave the official presidential residence in Yongsan District, Seoul, and head to their private home in southern Seoul on April 11. Joint Press Corps

Meanwhile, another poll shows that a majority of Koreans believe former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s endorsement would not benefit a politician’s presidential campaign. Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly on Dec. 14, and the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment on April 4.

In a poll commissioned by news outlet Dailian and conducted by local polling agency Gongjung on Monday and Tuesday, 63 percent of respondents said Yoon's support would not be beneficial. Another 28.7 percent responded it would be helpful, while 8.3 percent said they were unsure about the impact of Yoon's endorsement.

In terms of party affiliations, 38.7 percent of PPP supporters said it would be of no help, while 80 percent of DPK supporters agreed, highlighting a significant partisan divide.

The survey was conducted using a 100 percent automated response system (ARS) method and a structured questionnaire, targeting male and female voters nationwide. The response rate was 4.5 percent, with a total of 1,001 people responding to the survey.