South Korea's Democratic Party favorability drops 6 points post-local elections

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party has seen its favorability rating decline to 44%, a 6-percentage-point drop following the recent local elections, according to a poll released on June 10. The survey, conducted by Korea Gallup from June 7-9 among 1,002 adults nationwide, also indicated that 45% of respondents hold an unfavorable view of the party.

This marks a significant shift from March, when the Democratic Party's favorability stood at 50% with an unfavorability rating of 39%. The decline was particularly pronounced among centrist voters, whose favorability towards the party fell from 56% to 42%, with 46% now holding an unfavorable view. Age demographics also showed a notable decrease, with favorability among 30-somethings dropping from 44% to 31%, and among 40-somethings from 61% to 48%.

In contrast, the ruling People Power Party's favorability rating increased slightly to 22%, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey. However, its unfavorability rating remains high at 69%, a marginal 1-point decrease. The party's favorability has struggled to surpass 20% since the aftermath of the 2022 presidential election, despite a brief peak of 41% in April 2022.

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The Democratic Party's favorability rating fell by 6 percentage points to 44%, while the unfavorability rating rose by 6 percentage points to 45%.

Among centrist voters, the People Power Party's unfavorability reached 74%, and even within its own support base, 30% expressed unfavorable views. Korea Gallup noted a difference in party cohesion, with 85% of Democratic Party supporters reporting favorable views of their party, compared to 64% of People Power Party supporters.

The poll also surveyed other parties: the Cho Kuk Innovation Party garnered a 20% favorability rating with 66% unfavorable, the Progressive Party had 19% favorability and 62% unfavorable, and the Rebuilding Korea Party registered 10% favorability and 73% unfavorable.

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The People Power Party's favorability rating was 22%, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey, but its unfavorability rating decreased by 1 percentage point to 69%.