South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating moved back above 40% for the first time since August, but a new poll found negative assessments continued to exceed positive ones.
The Korea Herald reported Friday that a Gallup Korea survey put positive assessments of Lee at 41% and negative assessments at 50%. Positive views rose two percentage points from a week earlier, while negative views increased one point. Negative assessments were nine percentage points higher than positive ones despite the rise in Lee’s rating.
The latest reading followed several weeks of lower ratings. Lee’s rating was 42% in August’s final week, then reached 40% again in October’s fourth week. In the previous poll, it had slipped to 39%. The Korea Herald reported that Gallup Korea viewed the rating as essentially unchanged over the past three weeks.
Diplomacy was the most cited reason among respondents who assessed Lee positively, at 18%. Economic and livelihood issues followed at 15%, and communication at 10%. Among negative assessments, 19% cited real estate policy and 13% cited economic concerns. Security and North Korea policy were cited by 8%; an equal share pointed to ethics-related concerns, including an alleged effort by Lee to avoid his trials.
Support for the ruling Democratic Party reached 36%, up one percentage point, while support for the main opposition People Power Party fell two points to 28%. The Korea Herald reported that the Democratic Party’s gain followed a previous poll in which its support had hit the lowest level under the Lee administration.
The poll covered 1,001 people aged 18 and older from Tuesday through Thursday. Its margin of error was 3.1 percentage points in either direction, with a 95% confidence level.
