Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon leads a new nationwide poll of seven prominent political figures released on October 16, 2026, by Korea Gallup, while Reform Party former leader Lee Jun-seok records the highest unfavorability rating in the survey.
The survey, conducted from October 13 to 15 among 1,003 adults nationwide, captures a political landscape where public skepticism heavily outweighs personal appeal across the board. Every single politician evaluated faced unfavorability ratings ranging from 57% to 72%, towering over their positive favorability numbers.
How Seven Major Figures Rank in Nationwide Favorability
Among the seven figures—all of whom have been consistently named in preferred future political leader surveys since the last presidential election—Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon emerged with the highest positive mark. Oh pulled 30% favorability against a 57% unfavorability score.
Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon followed in second place with 23% favorability and 64% unfavorability. Democratic Party former representative Jung Chung-rae recorded 19% favorability and 66% unfavorability.
At the bottom of the seven-person list, People Power Party representative Jang Dong-hyuk and Reform Party former leader Lee Jun-seok tied at 14% favorability. While Jang’s unfavorability reached 68%, Lee’s unfavorability climbed to 72%, making him the most unfavorably viewed individual in the study.
| Political Figure | Affiliation | Favorability | Unfavorability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oh Sehoon | Seoul Mayor | 30% | 57% |
| Han Dong-hoon | Independent | 23% | 64% |
| Kim Min-seok | Democratic Party | 21% | 59% |
| Cho Kuk | Cho Kuk Innovation Party | 20% | 68% |
| Jung Chung-rae | Democratic Party | 19% | 66% |
| Jang Dong-hyuk | People Power Party | 14% | 68% |
| Lee Jun-seok | Reform Party | 14% | 72% |
Sharp Divides Across Party Lines and Ideological Camps
Voter sentiment breaks sharply along partisan boundaries. Within the Democratic Party base, Kim Min-seok led with 45% favorability, followed by Jung Chung-rae at 39% and Cho Kuk at 37%. Among People Power Party supporters, Oh Sehoon commanded 63% favorability, with Han Dong-hoon at 47% and Jang Dong-hyuk at 35%.
Middle-of-the-road voters gave Oh Sehoon the highest favorability in their cohort at 27%, followed by Kim Min-seok at 23% and Han Dong-hoon at 22%. The remaining four figures stalled in the 10% range among moderates.
The poll also captured broader electoral anxieties, finding that 47% of voters want opposition candidates to win more seats in the April 2028 parliamentary elections to check the incumbent administration, compared to 34% who favor supporting the government by backing ruling party candidates.
Presidential Job Approval and Party Support Metrics
During the same October 13–15 polling window, public assessment of President Lee Jae-myung’s administration showed a slight rebound. Positive job performance ratings rose 2 percentage points from the prior week to reach 39%, halting a downward slide that had held the figure at 37% for two consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, negative job evaluations increased by 1 percentage point to 52%, while 9% of respondents withheld their views as undecided.
Among respondents expressing negative views of the president’s performance, real estate policy remained the leading grievance at 19%, holding the top position since late July. Complaints regarding economic, livelihood, and stock market management climbed 5 percentage points to 12%, while defense, security, and North Korea policy accounted for 11%. Conversely, positive evaluations were driven primarily by diplomacy at 20%, followed by economic and livelihood management at 11%, communication at 7%, and general approval at 7%.
In terms of party support, the Democratic Party registered 36% and the People Power Party recorded 27%, leaving a 9-percentage-point gap that mirrored the previous week. Additional support figures included the Cho Kuk Innovation Party at 3%, the Reform Party at 2%, and the Progressive Party at 1%, with undecided voters accounting for 29%.
Regional and Generational Discrepancies
Regional breakdowns revealed deep challenges for the ruling party outside its core strongholds. In Seoul, government support sat at 30% while opposition check-and-balance sentiment reached 55%, creating a 25-percentage-point gap. In Incheon and Gyeonggi province, support stood at 31% against 52% favoring a government check, a 21-percentage-point margin.
Similar disparities emerged across generation groups. Among voters aged 18 to 29, 22% backed the government while 54% favored an opposition check. Voters in their 30s recorded 26% support versus 51% checking sentiment. The 60s and those aged 70 and older registered 34% and 23% support respectively, with check-and-balance sentiment reaching 54% in both categories. Only among voters in their 40s did government support outweigh opposition oversight, with 50% backing the administration compared to 34% calling for a check.
Survey Methodology and Technical Parameters
Korea Gallup executed the telephone interview survey using randomly extracted wireless virtual numbers provided by mobile telecommunications carriers. The poll sampled 1,003 registered voters aged 18 and older nationwide, yielding a 95% confidence level with a sampling error of ±3.1 percentage points and a response rate of 10.4%.