South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol’s Presidency Crisis

The primary factor exerting the most substantial influence was “pricing and other unresolved issues concerning people’s livelihood.”

The approval rating for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s governance was notably low.

On the 18th, the findings of the National Index Survey (NBS) conducted from the 15th to the 17th by Embrain Public, K-Stat Research, Korea Research, and Korea Research were made public.

Only 27 percent of the respondents positively assessed President Yoon’s administration.

This figure represents a decline of 11 percentage points compared to the approval rating (38%) recorded two weeks before the April 10 general election.

Furthermore, according to the NBS survey criteria, this marks the lowest approval rating since President Yoon’s inauguration.

The proportion of respondents who evaluated the state administration negatively surged from 55% two weeks ago to 64%. Negative assessments outnumbered positive ones across all regions.

In Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, negative evaluations also surpassed positive ones, with 55% rating negatively compared to 41% positively. Positive evaluations prevailed only among those aged 70 and above.

When asked about the most influential factor in the election, 30% of respondents cited “pricing and other issues concerning people’s livelihood.” This was followed by judgments on the government and ruling party (20%), controversies over candidates’ qualifications such as rude remarks (11%), judgments on the opposition party (10%), expansion of medical school quotas (8%), and controversies involving former ambassador to Australia Lee Jong Seop (5%).

The approval ratings for political parties were equal at 32% each for the People Power Party and the Democratic Party of Korea Party. The People Power Party’s approval rating decreased by seven percentage points compared to two weeks ago, while the Democratic Party of Korea Party’s approval rating increased by three percentage points. The approval rating for the Cho Kuk-innovation Party stood at 13%, while the New Reform Party stood at 4%.

The most cited priority for discussion by the 22nd National Assembly, set to convene in June, was “economic policy.” Social safety policy accounted for 15%, real estate and welfare policies accounted for 7%, and foreign policy accounted for 5%.