South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s positive rating slid to 39% in Gallup Korea’s latest survey, reversing last week’s brief rise above 40% as disapproval held at 50%.
The result was down 2 points from the previous week, when Lee’s rating topped 40% for the first time since August, EconoTimes reported. Gallup Korea surveyed 1,002 people age 18 or older from Nov. 10-12. The poll’s margin of error was 3.1 percentage points in either direction at a 95% confidence level.
Views of Lee’s performance shaped respondents’ explanations: real estate policies led among disapprovers at 17%, followed by economic or livelihood concerns at 15%. Among people who approved, economic and livelihood issues were most frequently cited at 19%; diplomacy followed at 17% and communication at 9%.
In the same survey, support for the ruling Democratic Party rose 3 points to 39%. The main opposition People Power Party lost 2 points to 26%, leaving the parties 13 points apart.
Yonhap placed the poll amid debate over a special counsel bill passed by South Korea’s National Assembly last week. The measure concerns allegations that indictments targeting Lee were fabricated. Yonhap also pointed to concerns over the government’s real estate policies and volatility in the stock market.
