Key facts
- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has dropped to 45.9%, its lowest since he took office.
- Negative assessments of his performance reached 50.5%, marking the first time it surpassed 50%.
- The dip in approval is attributed to stock market declines and controversy surrounding a potential constitutional amendment for presidential reelection.
- Lee concluded a five-nation overseas trip and is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting on market policies.
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since he took office in June last year, according to a poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter for the EKN newspaper, showed positive assessments of Lee's performance dropping by 0.4 percentage points to 45.9%, marking the third consecutive weekly decline.
Negative assessments of his performance rose by 1 percentage point to 50.5%, surpassing the 50% threshold for the first time. The pollster attributed this decline to several factors, including sharp drops in the stock market and heightened volatility, particularly concerning single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds. Controversy over a potential constitutional amendment that would allow the incumbent president to seek reelection also contributed to the dip.
The controversy was ignited by remarks from National Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik last week, suggesting the public should decide on revising the Constitution to permit a president to serve another term. The weekly survey on Lee's performance involved 2,508 individuals aged 18 and older, conducted from the previous Monday to Friday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
In a separate poll by the same firm, support for the ruling Democratic Party increased by 3.8 percentage points to 45.1% from the previous week. Conversely, support for the main opposition People Power Party decreased by 2.9 percentage points to 37.7%. This poll surveyed 1,002 individuals aged 18 and over on Thursday and Friday, carrying a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
President Lee has just concluded a five-nation overseas tour, arriving in Frankfurt for a meeting with the Korean community. Upon his return, he is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting to discuss real estate and stock market policies.