SEOUL, April 18 (AJP) - Acting President Han Duck-soo is facing divided public opinion over his job performance, according to a new Gallup Korea poll released Friday. The survey found that 41 percent of respondents believe Han is doing well in his role, while 50 percent said he is not. Nine percent reserved judgment.
Han received strong backing from supporters of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), with 88 percent offering a positive evaluation. In contrast, 90 percent of Democratic Party (DP) supporters viewed his performance negatively. Among politically unaffiliated respondents, 37 percent rated his performance favorably, while 32 percent were critical and 31 percent withheld opinion.
The survey also measured public preference for future political leadership. Lee Jae-myung, a presidential contender from the DP, received 38 percent support, his highest rating to date.
Lee maintained a comfortable lead over other figures, with former Daegu mayor Hong Joon-pyo, former labor minister Kim Moon-soo, and Acting President Han each polling at 7 percent. Former justice minister Han Dong-hoon followed with 6 percent, and Reform Party lawmaker Lee Jun-seok received 2 percent. About 26 percent of respondents did not name a preferred figure.
Gallup noted that Lee’s popularity has steadily increased since mid-December, when his ratings began exceeding the 30 percent range. Among DP supporters, 82 percent backed Lee.
Ideologically, Lee dominated among progressives with 74 percent support and led among centrists at 40 percent. Support among conservatives was more fragmented. Han Duck-soo led with 17 percent, followed by Hong at 15 percent and Kim at 14 percent.
Lee also topped regional rankings. He received 66 percent support in Gwangju and the Jeolla region, 32 percent in Seoul, and 27 percent in the Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang area. In Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, he was tied with Hong at 19 percent.
The poll was conducted by Gallup Korea from Apr. 15 to 17 among 1,000 adults nationwide. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Full details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission’s website.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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