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On Jan. 13, 2026, former President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at the final hearing of his trial on charges of leading an insurrection with his abortive declaration of martial law one year earlier. (courtesy of the Seoul Central District Court)

A public poll released on Thursday indicates that 58.1% of Koreans think the special counsel investigating Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024 was right to request the death penalty for the disgraced former president.

In a poll of 506 voters aged 18 and above around the country conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Economy Business Newspaper on Wednesday, 58.1% of respondents said the death sentence would be appropriate for Yoon, while 38.7% said it would be inappropriate. In other words, approval for the prosecutors’ requested sentence had nearly a 20-point lead over disapproval.

The poll, which had a sample margin of plus or minus 4.4 points and a 95% confidence level, was carried out through an automated polling method on mobile phones.

In most parts of the country, approval of the prosecutors’ requested sentence outweighed disapproval. The only areas where disapproval prevailed were Seoul and Daegu/North Gyeongsang Province, where the results were 50.8% against and 43.9% in favor, and 50.5% against and 41.4% in favor, respectively.

When poll respondents were asked whether Korea should keep the death penalty on the books or abolish it, 62.9% of respondents said the country should retain capital punishment — nearly double the share who said it should be abolished (31.9%).

More details about the poll can be found on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission’s official website (in Korean).

By Jang Na-rye, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]