During the June 3 local elections for leadership positions in metropolitan autonomous entities, the Democratic Party of Korea won 12 seats, while the People Power Party captured 4. Nonetheless, a public poll indicated that 40.3% of respondents believed the People Power Party was actually victorious, surpassing the 34.3% who saw the Democratic Party as the winning side, with an accuracy range of ±3.0 percentage points. Still, most voters from both the governing and opposing parties felt their respective party leaders were the main losers in the contest.
A study carried out by Media Tomato for News Tomato between the 8th and 9th showed that 40.3% of participants considered the People Power Party the actual victor of the June 3 local elections. 34.3% opted for the Democratic Party, 15.9% said "none," 6.7% picked different parties, and 2.9% were unsure.
Within the base of Democratic Party voters, 61.3% considered the Democratic Party to be the actual victor, whereas only 17.9% saw the People Power Party as such. In contrast, 74.2% of People Power Party backers felt their party had emerged victorious, with merely 6.8% acknowledging the Democratic Party’s win. For independents, 37.1% leaned toward the People Power Party being the winner, while 31.5% backed the Democratic Party, with these figures lying within the range of statistical uncertainty.
When questioned about which political figure suffered the most significant defeat, 30.3% mentioned Jang Dong-hyeok of the People Power Party, 25.6% opted for Jung Chung-rae from the Democratic Party, and 19.6% said "no one." Eleven point eight percent pointed to Cho Kuk, the previous leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, who stepped down following his loss in a local election in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Eight point four percent expressed uncertainty, while 4.4% picked Lee Jun-seok of the Reform Party.
Among followers of the Democratic Party, 34.7% considered their party head Jung Chung-rae as the main failure, with 24.4% naming Jang Dong-hyeok and 11.0% selecting Cho Kuk. For supporters of the People Power Party, 41.2% blamed their leader Jang Dong-hyeok, 18.8% targeted Jung Chung-rae, and 9.8% chose Cho Kuk. Independents were divided nearly evenly: 26.5% selected Jang Dong-hyeok, 24.4% opted for Jung Chung-rae, and 11.8% supported Cho Kuk.
Before the Democratic Party's national convention in August aimed at selecting a new leader, a simulated three-candidate race showed 24.0% support for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, 18.4% backing current leader Jung Chung-rae, and 15.8% endorsing Representative Song Young-gil. Within the ranks of Democratic Party voters, Kim Min-seok was ahead with 40.1%, followed by Song Young-gil with 24.0% and Jung Chung-rae at 22.9%.
In terms of public support, the Democratic Party received 42.9%, marking a decrease of 1.4 percentage points compared to three weeks earlier. Meanwhile, the People Power Party increased to 34.7%, gaining 4.4 percentage points, which reduced the difference between the two major parties from 14.0 to 8.2 percentage points. Additional political groups included the Rebuilding Korea Party with 3.5%, the Reform Party at 2.7%, the Progressive Party with 2.0%, and other smaller factions accounting for 3.7%. A total of 9.6% of respondents did not have a favored party, while 0.7% remained uncertain.
The president's approval rate regarding national matters dropped to 54.0%, decreasing by 5.2 percentage points, whereas dissatisfaction increased to 40.9%, rising by 5.3 percentage points.
The study took place using a wireless automatic response system between the 8th and 9th, focusing on 1,036 adults across the country. The participation rate stood at 2.7%, with a margin of error of ±3.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence interval. Additional information can be found on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission's official site.
