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Late ex-President Kim’s popularity soars: poll

November 27, 2015

A vehicle putting up a portrait of the late former South Korean President Kim Young-sam leads a hearse after the state funeral for Kim at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. Thousands of mourners gathered at the lawn outside parliament Thursday to say their farewells to Kim, whose landmark 1992 election victory ended decades of military rule and ushered in a series of reform measures. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon. Pool)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — The likability of former President Kim Young-sam, a lifelong champion of democracy, has soared following his death early this week, a poll showed Friday.

Kim, an iconic figure of the pro-democracy movement who ended decades of military rule in South Korea with his presidency from 1993 to 1998, passed away on Sunday at Seoul National University Hospital. He was 87.

The survey by Gallup Korea showed 51 percent of the 11,000 respondents said they have favorable feelings toward Kim, up from 19 percent during the same survey conducted in March.

The survey contributed to the rise of intense media coverage of Kim’s legacy, including his devotion to pro-democracy movement by fighting against military rulers.

Those who had a negative view of Kim came to 34 percent while 15 percent of the respondents abstained.

Meanwhile, 57 percent of the respondents said they have favorable feelings toward Kim’s successor, former President Kim Dae-jung who died in 2009.

Kim Young-sam, often dubbed YS, and Kim Dae-jung, dubbed DJ, were both iconic figures of the country’s pro-democracy movement by fighting against military rulers, and they dominated the nation’s political landscape for decades.

While Kim Young-sam was strongly backed by the southeastern region, Kim Dae-jung enjoyed support from the southwestern part of the country.

President Park Geun-hye’s job approval rating, meanwhile, has remained in the lower 40-percent range for the fourth week in a row, according to a separate poll.

The survey showed 44 percent of respondents approved of Park’s work, up two percentage points from a week earlier.

Those who had a negative view of Park’s job performance came to 47 percent, according to the poll.