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Ahead of the June 3 presidential election, a new poll shows that voters view legal and ethical misconduct as the most disqualifying trait for a presidential candidate.

In a nationwide survey conducted by the Korea Opinion & Polling Research Association (KOPRA) on April 18–19 and commissioned by Asia Today, 28% of respondents selected “a candidate who breaks the law or is immoral” as the most unacceptable trait for the next president. The poll surveyed 2,002 adults aged 18 and older via mobile automated response system (ARS).

Following that, 20% cited “a candidate who denies liberal democracy,” 19% chose “one who lacks governing ability,” 16% pointed to “a candidate who lies to the public,” and 14% selected “a candidate who could divide the nation.” Four percent responded “don’t know.”

By political affiliation, 48% of People Power Party (PPP) supporters ranked lawbreaking and immorality as the most disqualifying factor. This was followed by denial of liberal democracy (17%), dishonesty (16%), national divisiveness (12%), and lack of leadership ability (5%).

Among Democratic Party supporters, the top concern was “lack of governing ability” (31%), followed by dishonesty and national divisiveness (15% each), and legal or moral misconduct (13%).

The responses also varied by political orientation. Among self-identified conservatives, 38% viewed legal or moral misconduct as the most disqualifying trait, followed by denial of liberal democracy (18%) and dishonesty (16%). Moderates shared a similar ranking, with 30% citing misconduct, followed by denial of liberal democracy (20%) and lack of leadership ability (19%).

Among self-identified progressives, however, “lack of governing ability” led with 29%, followed by denial of liberal democracy (21%), misconduct (19%), national divisiveness (15%), and dishonesty (13%).

The poll had a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 7.6% (2,002 responses from 22,437 calls). Demographic weighting was applied based on gender, age, and region in accordance with March 2025 resident registration data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Full details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.