People Power Party Support Hits 15%, Lowest Since Founding

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) recorded a 15% approval rating, the lowest since its founding, according to a poll released Thursday, just over 40 days before the June 3 local elections.

In the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from the 20th to the 22nd of this month, surveying 1,005 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide, the PPP's approval rating fell 3 percentage points from the previous survey to 15%.

Notably, the PPP's support rating was lower than that of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) even in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province (TK), long considered a conservative stronghold. In TK, the PPP's approval rating stood at 25%, compared with 34% for the DPK.

Even in the Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang Province region, the gap between the two parties widened to 20 percentage points, confirming that the PPP is trailing nationwide.

Amid these results, PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk announced a hardline stance against deviant behavior during the local election campaign, saying, "If a candidate engages in harmful conduct to the party, we will immediately replace them."

Jang's remarks are interpreted as a warning over growing calls within the PPP for "no nomination" in Busan's Buk District A, where former party leader Han Dong-hoon has signaled an independent bid.

The NBS was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile virtual numbers (100%), with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 17.7%.