For both DP and PPP leaders, negatives outweigh positives: Poll

Negative assessments of the leaders of Korea's two major political parties outpace positive ones, a Gallup Korea poll showed on Friday. 

The poll, conducted by telephone interviews from Tuesday to Thursday and released on Friday, found that 30 percent of respondents viewed Democratic Party (DP) leader Kim Min-seok positively, while 48 percent viewed him negatively.

Kim took over as party leader last month. His numbers mark a decline from those of his predecessor Jung Chung-rae, who recorded a 38 percent positive rating and a 45 percent negative rating in a February poll.

The drop in Kim's positive rating came as support for the DP itself fell only slightly, from 41 percent to 40 percent. Kim's 30 percent positive rating also marked the lowest figure for a DP leader since Moon Jae-in recorded 18 percent in 2015.

Among DP supporters, 54 percent viewed Kim positively while 27 percent viewed him negatively.

By region, 50 percent of voters in the Jeolla regions said Kim was doing a good job. His positive rating, however, remained below 30 percent in the Seoul metropolitan area, at 25 percent, and in Incheon and Gyeonggi, both at 29 percent.

By age group, voters in their 50s gave Kim his highest positive rating at 37 percent. The figure fell below 30 percent among voters in their 30s, at 26 percent, and those in their 60s, at 24 percent.

Some DP lawmakers attributed the results to a combination of disappointment with the ruling camp and tensions within the DP.

“More people appear to distrust the government's policies, which may have led to a harsher assessment of Kim, who previously served as prime minister,” a DP lawmaker from the Seoul metropolitan area who is not closely aligned with any faction said. “Some supporters also seem to think that he has fueled internal tensions by provoking Jung Chung-rae and others.”

Kim himself stressed that it is important to avoid further escalating internal conflict and tensions within the DP.

“It depends on how wisely and peacefully we manage differences in our political direction,” he said in a YouTube video on Friday.

Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), received an even lower rating.

In the same poll, 21 percent of respondents viewed Jang positively while 61 percent viewed him negatively. The negative rating marked the lowest for a party leader since Gallup Korea began tracking ratings for party leaders in 2012.

Compared to the February poll, Jang's positive rating fell 6 percentage points while his negative rating rose 5 percentage points.

Even among PPP supporters, negative assessments outnumbered positive ones, at 49 percent to 39 percent.

Jang's positive rating stood at 28 percent both in Daegu and North Gyeongsang, regions long considered conservative strongholds. The figure stood at 16 percent in Seoul and 21 percent both in Incheon and Gyeonggi.

Voters aged 18 to 29 and those in their 30s gave Jang a positive rating of 28 percent. That figure ranged from 16 percent to 19 percent among other age groups.

Opposition lawmakers attributed Jang's low ratings to his hard-line approach.

At a press conference on Friday, Jang again called for President Lee Jae Myung to step down and raised the possibility of his impeachment.

“The time has come for him to step down,” Jang said.

One senior PPP lawmaker attributed the results to Jang's approach, including his appearances at protests at Olympic Park in southern Seoul, where participants have demanded a re-election for the June 3 local elections due to a ballot shortage incident. 

Multiple polling stations across Korea ran out of ballots on June 3 Election Day, leaving some voters unable to vote, which prompted protests calling for a revote. 

“The public has turned its back on that kind of approach,” the lawmaker said. “And has he really stood out during major moments such as confirmation hearings?”

BY LEE CHAN-KYU [[email protected]]