Yoon ranks highest among presidents for public criticism

Following the Dec. 3 imposition of martial law and his removal from office by the Constitutional Court’s impeachment ruling, former President Yoon Suk-yeol was identified as the South Korean president considered to have “made the most mistakes.” He ranked above former President Chun Doo-hwan, who had led similar surveys in 2021 and 2023.

A public opinion poll released on Nov. 28 by Gallup Korea, which surveyed 1,000 voters aged 18 and older from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27 through telephone interviews with a 95 percent confidence level and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, found that 77 percent of respondents gave Yoon an unfavorable rating.

Only 12 percent of respondents said Yoon had “done many good things,” similar to his 11 percent job approval rate recorded last December while the impeachment trial was still underway. In negative evaluations, Yoon was followed by Chun Doo-hwan at 68 percent, Park Geun-hye at 65 percent, Roh Tae-woo at 50 percent, Lee Myung-bak at 46 percent, and former President Moon Jae-in at 44 percent. Chun received the highest negative ratings in the 2021 and 2023 surveys, at 73 percent and 71 percent, respectively.

Former President Roh Moo-hyun received the highest positive rating, with 68 percent of respondents saying he had “done many good things.” Former President Park Chung-hee followed with 62 percent, and former President Kim Dae-jung with 60 percent. They were followed by Kim Young-sam at 42 percent, Lee Myung-bak at 35 percent, and former President Moon Jae-in at 33 percent.

Gallup Korea said, “Park Chung-hee received the highest positive rating in 2015, but Roh Moo-hyun has now surpassed him.” The organization added that positive evaluations of Kim Young-sam and Lee Myung-bak have risen while negative evaluations have declined over the past decade, indicating a shift in public perception.

Regarding President Lee Jae-myung’s job performance, 60 percent of respondents gave a positive rating, while 31 percent gave a negative assessment. Among those with a favorable view, 43 percent cited foreign affairs as the main reason. Among those with an unfavorable view, the most common concerns were the economy and livelihoods at 14 percent, followed by morality issues and allegations that he is avoiding his own trials at 12 percent.

Party support stood at 42 percent for the Democratic Party and 25 percent for the People Power Party. Since mid-August, support for the Democratic Party has hovered around 40 percent, while support for the People Power Party has remained in the mid-20 percent range. Among self-identified progressives, 67 percent supported the Democratic Party and among conservatives 55 percent supported the People Power Party. Among moderates, support stood at 45 percent for the Democratic Party and 15 percent for the People Power Party, while 31 percent of respondents said they supported a specific political party.


Dong-Jun Heo hungry@donga.com