[Edaily Reporter Kim Sung-kon ] Regarding the Special Prosecutor Act on Fabricated Indictments—a bill at the center of a tense standoff between the ruling and opposition parties—public opinion shows that opposition outweighs support. By age group, opposition was higher among those in their 40s and 50s; by region, opposition was higher across all age groups and regions except Honam. Overall, the only group showing a majority (over 50%) in favor was “supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea or the Cho Kuk Innovation Party in their 50s residing in Honam.”
According to the regular public opinion poll for the second week of November released by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on the 11th, 37.5% of respondents supported the Special Prosecutor Bill on Fabricated Indictments, while 45.3% opposed it. 17.3% responded that they “did not know.”
The so-called “Special Prosecutor Bill on Fabricated Indictments” is the biggest issue in the current political landscape. On the 5th, the Democratic Party pushed the bill through the National Assembly plenary session after the filibuster ended, despite opposition from the opposition parties. They argue that since judicial justice has been undermined by the abuse of prosecutorial power since the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office, a special prosecutor with independent status and investigative capabilities must be appointed to rectify the situation. In particular, there are allegations that in major cases related to President Lee Jae-myung—such as the Daejang-dong scandal and remittances to North Korea—unreasonable investigations and indictments were carried out through political framing, including pressure to investigate unrelated matters, coercion or intimidation to make false statements, fabrication or alteration of evidence, and the誘導 or inducement of statements.
In response, the People Power Party criticized the Special Prosecutor for Fabricated Indictments as the “Lee Jae-myung Escape Act” and opted for extra-parliamentary protests. Party Leader Jang Dong-hyuk stated, “We must absolutely block the ‘Lee Jae-myung Escape Act’—even if it means going to the moon, not just taking action outside the National Assembly,” urging the President to exercise his veto power and even pressing for impeachment. Regarding the People Power Party’s mention of impeachment, the Democratic Party argued, “They must immediately retract their reckless remarks and offer a sincere apology to the public.”
A closer look at the detailed data by age and region suggests that, regarding the controversy over the special counsel’s alleged fabricated indictment, public opinion sided more with the People Power Party than with the Democratic Party.
First, by age group, opposition sentiment prevailed in all age groups except for those in their 40s (43.8% in favor, 40.8% opposed) and 50s (51.0% in favor, 39.3% opposed)—the Democratic Party’s core support base. In particular, among those in their 20s and those aged 70 and older, opposition sentiment hovered around the majority mark. △ Ages 18–29: In favor 20.2% vs. Opposed 53.1% △ 30s: In favor 32.2% vs. Opposed 44.4% △ 60s: In favor 43.3% vs. Opposed 46.4% △ 70 and older: In favor 28.3% vs. Opposed 49.6%.
By region, opposition sentiment prevailed in all areas except Honam (in favor: 51.0% vs. opposed: 30.1%). In the Seoul metropolitan area—the key battleground for the next general election—opposition sentiment held a slight edge in both Seoul (in favor: 40.2% vs. opposed: 46.3%) and Gyeonggi and Incheon (in favor: 39.4% vs. opposed: 41.9%). In Daegu and North Gyeongsang—often referred to as the “heartland of conservatism” (20.1% in favor vs. 67.4% opposed)—opposition was more than three times as high. In Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang (35.6% in favor vs. 46.6% opposed) and the Chungcheong region (35.7% in favor vs. 46.5% opposed), opposition was also higher by around 10 percentage points.
Opinions were also sharply divided along party lines. Among Democratic Party supporters (75.9% in favor vs. 10.3% opposed), support was overwhelmingly high, while among People Power Party supporters (5.1% in favor vs. 77.4% opposed), opposition was overwhelmingly high. By political ideology, the trends among conservatives and progressives were also similar. However, among centrists—who are key swing voters in the upcoming general election (42.9% in favor vs. 43.4% opposed)—the gap between support and opposition was only 0.5 percentage points, making the two sides virtually tied.
A KSOI official stated, “Although the bill for the special counsel law—with the provision regarding the decision to maintain or drop charges removed—was passed, controversy surrounding the possibility of dropping charges in cases involving the president continues,” adding, “Future public opinion will depend on how well independence and fairness are ensured in the formation of the special counsel team and the investigation process, as well as how the controversy over dropping charges in cases involving the president is addressed.”
Meanwhile, this survey was conducted via ARS (automated response system) from the 9th to the 10th, targeting 1,003 people nationwide aged 18 and older, using virtual mobile numbers provided by the three major telecommunications companies. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 5.5%.
