Nearly half of S. Koreans say they do not trust courts: survey

Seoul, Nov. 6 - A recent Gallup Korea poll indicates that nearly 50 percent of South Koreans do not trust the judiciary, up 3 percentage points from the previous survey conducted in April of last year. Only 41 percent expressed trust in the courts, a decline of 5 percentage points. The survey also found that public trust in the Constitutional Court has plummeted since it upheld the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol for his martial law bid.

Trust in the Constitutional Court fell 12 percentage points to 49 percent, while distrust rose to 36 percent from the previous year's survey. Meanwhile, trust in the newly established Serious Crime Investigation Agency (SCIA) responsible for major crimes sits at 29 percent, down from 49 percent who did not express trust. The Public Prosecution Service (PSS) received 25 percent trust, with 50 percent expressing distrust.

The SCIA and PSS were launched on October 2 as part of a major prosecution reform that separated investigative and prosecutorial powers after 78 years of the single prosecution service performing both roles.