The weeks since Yoon’s impeachment have also seen a recovery in support for his ruling People Power Party (PPP), which some analysts say shows signs conservatives are uniting to fight a possible presidential election later this year.
“It seems that the attempt to arrest Yoon has reinvigorated conservatives,” said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
He said that revival comes from both die-hard Yoon supporters, who back his reasons for declaring martial law including unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud, and those who are less supportive of Yoon but are concerned at the prospect of Lee Jae-myung, the liberal leader of the main opposition party, becoming president.
“If the arrest effort had succeeded, these conservatives would have been defeated for a second time, following impeachment, and that reinvigoration would possibly have been snuffed out quickly. The more that arrest attempts fail, the stronger reinvigorated conservatives will feel,” said Richey.
A Realmeter poll released on Monday showed the PPP’s approval rating was at 34.4 per cent, up for three consecutive weeks. The approval rating of the main opposition Democratic Party, which commands a parliamentary majority and brought on Yoon’s impeachment vote, stood higher at 45.2 per cent.
South Korea is one of the most politically divided countries in the world along with the United States, with 9 in 10 adults saying there are strong conflicts between people who support different political parties, a Pew Research survey in 2022 found.
