Former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk was released on the 15th amid a special pardon on Liberation Day, and opinions opposing his pardon were found to be higher within the margin of error compared to supporting opinions.
According to a public opinion survey released by Korea Gallup on the 15th, which surveyed 1,007 people aged 18 and older nationwide from the 12th to the 14th, 43% responded that they 'support' former leader Cho's pardon, while 48% said they 'oppose' it.
Support was higher among those in their 50s (59%) and 40s (58%). Opposition was highest among those in their 30s (62%), followed by those aged over 70 (56%), those in their 50s (54%), and those in their 20s (50%).
Former leader Cho was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of charges related to his children's entrance exam scandal and covering up a Blue House inspection last December. He served eight months in confinement. Those in their 30s are of a similar age to Cho's daughter, Cho Min (33), who is the subject of the 'children's entrance exam scandal.'
Regarding former leader Cho's pardon, 76% of supporters of the Democratic Party of Korea agreed, while 87% of supporters of the People Power Party opposed it. Korea Gallup stated that 'public opinion related to specific politicians' pardons has historically been sharply divided along party lines.'
This survey was conducted using randomly extracted virtual phone numbers provided by three mobile carriers and was carried out through telephone interviewers using the Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) method, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The contact rate was 42.1%, and the response rate was 13.4%. For more details, refer to the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Committee.