North Korean Landmine Incident... Angry Male Support for Ruling Party Falls 10.5 Points [Asia Business Daily-Realmeter Poll]

Democratic Party of Korea support plunges among male respondents
Ruling party support among progressives plunges 14 percentage points
People Power Party fails to reap political benefits

The simultaneous decline in support for President Lee Jaemyung and the Democratic Party of Korea is noteworthy. In the early days of the parliamentary audit, the political fortunes of the ruling and opposition parties are diverging, with support for the People Power Party coming in higher than support for the Democratic Party within the margin of error.

According to a regular opinion poll conducted by Realmeter at the request of The Asia Business Daily and released on Monday, October 12, support for both the government and the ruling party fell. In particular, the Democratic Party’s support dropped sharply, by 7 percentage points, in this week’s regular party preference survey. The poll surveyed 1,004 voters aged 18 or older nationwide from October 7 to 8, using automated responses over wireless phones. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 2.6%. The change stands out given that party support had fluctuated slightly but remained largely flat in recent weeks.

Changes among male supporters were particularly notable in this poll. A comparison of party preferences among respondents who identified as men showed that support for the Democratic Party fell by 10.5 percentage points from the previous survey, while support for the People Power Party rose by 8.4 percentage points. Some analysts say the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and controversy over North Korea policy may have influenced the views of men, who are sensitive to security issues.

Changes in the preferences of progressive supporters also stood out. Support for the Democratic Party among progressives fell by 14.0 percentage points. The decline appears to have been driven in part by conflicts within the ruling camp, including controversy over the appointment of the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency.

Kim Bongshin, CEO of MetaVoice, said, "At its current level of support, the ruling party urgently needs to come up with countermeasures." Kim added, "Democratic Party leader Kim Minseok seems to be trying to rally supporters through a centrist, pragmatic approach, and I think this trend will continue for the time being." He continued, "Ultimately, to raise support, the party needs measures that can emphasize a one-team spirit, such as working with influential commentators like Yoo Simin."

However, it is interesting that the People Power Party has not benefited politically from the ruling camp’s struggles to maintain support. Support for the People Power Party rose by 2.9 percentage points, a smaller increase than the ruling party’s decline. Instead, support for no party rose by 1.5 percentage points, while support for the Reform Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party increased by 1.3 and 1.1 percentage points, respectively.

President Lee’s approval rating fell by 2.2 percentage points, signaling a troubling risk. The poll surveyed 1,504 voters aged 18 or older nationwide from October 6 to 8, using automated responses over wireless phones. The margin of error was ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 2.8%. Among voters in their 40s, who had been considered a core support base for the president, his approval rating fell by 5.1 percentage points, from 42.4% to 37.3%. It remains to be seen whether the shift will weaken his support base as the generation that had helped sustain his approval rating shows signs of wavering.

Another negative sign is that approval ratings fell across political affiliations. Support declined by 3.9 percentage points among conservatives, from 14.1% to 10.2%; by 3.5 percentage points among moderates, from 42.7% to 39.2%; and by 1.4 percentage points among progressives, from 54.4% to 53.0%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.