Prosecution's Daejang-dong Appeal Fails to Win Public Support

A public opinion poll revealed that the view that the prosecution's choice to drop the appeal in the Daejang-dong case was "inappro...

A public opinion poll revealed that the view that the prosecution's choice to drop the appeal in the Daejang-dong case was "inappropriate" was much more prevalent than the view that it was "appropriate," according to data released on the 14th. President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating for his official duties reached 59%, marking a decrease of 4 percentage points compared to the prior week. Previously, the prosecution decided to abandon the appeal on the 7th before the second trial in the "Daejang-dong development corruption" case.

A public opinion poll released on the same day by Korean Gallup, which surveyed 1,003 individuals across the country from the 11th to the 13th, asked, "What is your opinion on the prosecution's decision not to appeal the Daejang-dong development corruption case?" 48% of respondents found it inappropriate, much higher than the 29% who considered it appropriate. Additionally, 23% stated they did not know or refused to answer.

Politically, 34% of progressives and 67% of conservatives said it was "inappropriate." In contrast, 48% of moderates found it "inappropriate," which was much higher than the 29% who considered it "appropriate." Regarding gender, 53% of men and 42% of women responded with "inappropriate."

Gallup reported, "Even among individuals in their 40s and 50s, who generally back the president and the governing party, views remained evenly split." For those in their 40s, 43% answered "appropriate" and 42% "inappropriate," indicating a narrow difference, whereas for those in their 50s, 45% found it "appropriate" and 38% "inappropriate."

Concerning views on President Lee's effectiveness, 59% indicated "doing well." This marks a 4 percentage point drop from the prior week. The number of people saying "doing poorly" increased by 3 percentage points, reaching 32%. Nine percent chose not to express an opinion.

The primary factor contributing to the positive assessment of President Lee's management of state affairs was "diplomacy," accounting for 30%. This was closely followed by "economy/livelihood" with 14%, while "generally doing well" received 7%. "APEC achievements," "job competence/ability," and "communication" each garnered 5%, and "tariff negotiation settlement" as well as "low-income policies/welfare" were rated at 3% respectively.

The primary cause of negative feedback was "moral issues/avoiding personal trial," accounting for 15%. Additional reasons included "economy/livelihood" with 10%, "pro-China policies/visa-free entry for Chinese," "Daejang-dong case/prosecution’s pressure to drop the appeal," and "dictatorship/arbitrariness," each at 6%. "Diplomacy" and "arbitrarily changing laws" were noted at 5%, while "real estate policies/loan regulations" stood at 4%. Gallup stated, "Although 'moral issues/avoiding personal trial' continued to be the main criticism for two weeks, references to the 'Daejang-dong case' appeared for the first time. This indicates the continuing impact of the ruling party's previous attempt to push the so-called 'trial suspension bill' this month and the debate surrounding the prosecution's decision not to appeal past presidential cases."

The Democratic Party received 42% in party backing, whereas the People Power Party had 24%. In comparison to the previous week, the Democratic Party increased by 2 percentage points, while the People Power Party decreased by 2 percentage points.

In assessments of the National Assembly's review of government matters, 23% indicated "there were accomplishments," whereas 42% stated "there were no accomplishments." When asked which legislators were engaged during this review, Joo Jin-woo from the People Power Party and Park Eun-jung from the Rebuilding Korea Party each received 3%, the highest figures. Additional names included Seo Young-kyo from the Democratic Party (2.4%), Democratic Party leader Jeong Chung-rae (2.3%), Choo Mi-ae from the Democratic Party (1.9%), independent legislator Choi Hyuck-jin (1.8%), and People Power Party members Na Kyung-won and Shin Dong-wook (1.7 each), with People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok at 1.6%.

In response to the suggestion of increasing the mandatory retirement age from the present 60 to 65, 72% of participants expressed support, greatly exceeding the 21% who were against it.

For further information, visit the website of the Central Election Opinion Survey Deliberation Committee.