Signal Early warning 1: Political and institutional trust

Summary

The first of KDI's early-warning indicators measures trust in political institutions such as the National Assembly, parties and the judiciary, using sources such as the World Bank governance indicators and national social integration surveys. A 2025 survey by the East Asia Institute found that only 34.7% of respondents believed Korean democracy was working well. Institutional trust was low among progressives, moderates and conservatives alike. The report adds that trust in the National Assembly remains near the bottom of the OECD. A sustained decline in trust or a widening gap between institutions is treated as a signal of movement toward fragmented gridlock, and current readings are classified as gridlock.