Lee’s approval rating hits record low after four-week slide
A new Realmeter poll shows President Lee’s support dropping to 43.3 percent as tax policy disputes, legal revisions and economic concerns weigh on public opinion.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting reviewing the government's three regional investment projects at the Blue House on Aug. 10.NEWS1
President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fell for a fourth consecutive week to its lowest level since he took office, a poll released Monday showed.
Lee had a positive rating of 43.3 percent in a Realmeter survey of 2,514 voters aged 18 and older conducted from Aug. 3 to Friday.
The figure was down 2.6 percentage points from the previous week, marking the first time Lee’s positive rating has fallen to the low-40 percent range in the survey since he took office.
Negative assessment of his performance rose 2.5 percentage points to 53 percent, while 3.6 percent said they were unsure. The gap between positive and negative assessments was 9.7 percentage points, outside the margin of error.
“Controversies over changes to real estate taxes and revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act, fallout from remarks regarding the history of coups involving the Korea Military Academy, extreme heat and economic uncertainty combined to drive away more supporters, particularly in Seoul and among conservatives and older voters, extending the decline in positive assessments to a fourth consecutive week,” Realmeter said in its analysis.
NAM JUNG-HYUN
In a separate survey of party support, the Democratic Party (DP) recorded 44.6 percent support and the People Power Party (PPP) 37.6 percent. A total of 1,007 voters aged 18 and older were surveyed between Thursday and Friday.
Support for the DP fell 0.5 percentage point from the previous survey, while support for the PPP slipped 0.1 percentage point.
“The DP's support edged down as controversies over changes to real estate taxes and deepening factional conflict among candidates for party leader ahead of the national convention led to an erosion of support in Seoul and among conservative voters,” Realmeter said.
President Lee Jae Myung selects speakers during a public forum on housing policy at the KBS annex in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on July 23.YONHAP
The PPP appeared to gain support as it criticized the government’s policies, though internal troubles offset those gains.
“Attacks on the government’s tax reform plan and revisions to the Criminal Procedure Act rallied voters in Seoul, Daegu and North Gyeongsang and among conservatives, but the gains were offset by internal turmoil over disciplinary action and damaging verbal gaffes by the party leadership, leaving its support largely flat,” Realmeter said of the PPP.
The Rebuilding Korea Party and the Reform Party each recorded 2.9 percent support, while the Jinbo Party's stood at 1.5 percent. Other parties received 1.7 percent and unaffiliated voters accounted for 9.0 percent.
Both surveys were conducted through automated responses on wireless phones. The presidential approval survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level and a response rate of 4 percent. The party support survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level and a response rate of 3.4 percent. More details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
