A poll released on January 6 revealed that the People's Power Party (PPP) garnered 34.5% support, while the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) achieved 45.2%. Notably, while the DPK's support declined for the third consecutive week, the PPP saw a three-week upward trend. The PPP's approval rating has recovered to levels seen before the December 3 Martial Law Incident.
According to Realmeter's survey conducted on January 2-3 with 1,001 voters aged 18 or older nationwide (confidence level 95%, margin of error ±3.1 percentage points) for Energy Economy News, the PPP's approval rating in the first week of January rose by 3.8 percentage points compared to the previous week. In contrast, the DPK's rating dropped by 0.6 percentage points. Realmeter stated, "The DPK experienced a three-week decline, while the PPP has risen for three consecutive weeks. The gap between the two parties has narrowed to 10.8 percentage points, remaining outside the margin of error (±3.1 percentage points) for the 15th week."
The PPP's approval rating, now at pre-Martial Law levels, had dropped to 25.7% in mid-December following the November 4th week level of 32.3%. Regionally, the PPP's support increased in Seoul (+8.7 percentage points), Incheon/Gyeonggi (+5.3), Daegu/Gyeongbuk (+3.3), and Gwangju/Jeolla (+1.1). However, it decreased in Busan/Ulsan/Gyeongnam (-1.4). By age group, support for the PPP rose significantly among those in their 30s (+16.8), 20s (+11.1), 40s (+4.6), and 50s (+4.2). It fell among those aged 70 and older (-7.2) and in their 60s (-5.8). Ideologically, support increased among moderates (+5.5) and conservatives (+1.4).
For the DPK, support fell in Incheon/Gyeonggi (-4.5) but rose in Busan/Ulsan/Gyeongnam (+3.6), Seoul (+1.6), and Daegu/Gyeongbuk (+1.0). By age group, it declined among those in their 30s (-7.3), 50s (-4.5), 40s (-4.0), and 20s (-1.8) but increased among those aged 60 and older (+10.0) and 70 and older (+4.3).
Other results showed 4.8% support for the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, 3.1% for the Reform Party, 1.1% for the Progressive Party, and 1.8% for other parties. Independents accounted for 9.6%.
Regarding the next presidential election, 58.5% of respondents favored a government change by the opposition, a drop of 1.9 percentage points from the previous week. Meanwhile, 34.8% supported the continuation of a PPP-led administration, up 2.5 percentage points. The undecided accounted for 6.7%.
The most memorable event of the past year was President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law and impeachment (64.2%), followed by the Jeju Air passenger plane accident (10.2%) and Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election (5.5%).
The survey was conducted via automated response methods, with 97% of responses collected via mobile and 3% via landline.
