Lee's approval rating hits new low of 40%

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to 40 percent, marking its lowest level since he took office in June last year, a poll showed Friday.

In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday on 1,001 people aged 18 and older, 40 percent positively assessed Lee's management of state affairs, down 2 percentage points from the previous week.

Lee's disapproval rating rose 1 percentage point to 51 percent, the highest level since he took office.

The economy and people's livelihoods were the most frequently cited reason for the positive assessment at 14 percent, followed by diplomacy at 13 percent and overall performance at 10 percent.

Among those who negatively assessed Lee's performance, 23 percent cited his real estate policies, followed by concerns over the economy and people's livelihoods at 11 percent and personnel appointments at 9 percent.

Gallup said concerns over personnel appointments in this week's poll appeared to be linked to Lee's recent nomination of six new ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle.

The pollster also said real estate policies have remained the most frequently cited reason for negative assessments since the fourth week of July.

Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 1 percentage point on week to 38 percent, while that of the main opposition People Power Party rose 5 percentage points to a record high of 30 percent under the Lee administration.

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Yonhap