Key facts
- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to 46.7%, with his disapproval rating rising to 49.7%.
- This marks the first time President Lee's disapproval rating has exceeded his approval rating since his inauguration.
- The decline is attributed to ballot shortages in recent local elections and internal party strife.
- Concerns over widening asset market inequality also impacted support.
- President Lee appointed new senior secretaries for communications and civil affairs.
President Lee Jae Myung's disapproval rating has surpassed his approval rating for the first time since he took office in June last year, according to a survey released Monday. The poll, commissioned by the EKN newspaper and conducted by Realmeter, showed Lee's approval rating dropping 4.8 percentage points from the previous week to 46.7 percent, marking the first time his approval fell below 50 percent in a Realmeter poll since his inauguration.
His negative assessment climbed 5.5 percentage points to 49.7 percent. Realmeter attributed the decline to the recent controversy surrounding poor management of ballot shortages during the June 3 local elections and deepening internal strife within the ruling Democratic Party (DP).
Despite positive factors such as the outcome of the president's trip to Europe and the Korea Composite Stock Price Index topping 9,000 points, concerns over widening inequality in the asset market intensified, leading to the decline in support among moderates and those in the greater Seoul area, the pollster added.
The weekly survey, conducted on 2,517 people aged 18 and older from Monday to Friday last week, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
In a separate survey on party support, the DP rose 2.1 percentage points from a week earlier to 40.1 percent, while the main opposition People Power Party fell 2 percentage points to 42.3 percent. This poll, conducted on 1,001 individuals aged 18 and over Thursday and Friday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, with a 95 percent confidence level.
Earlier in the week, President Lee Jae Myung appointed new senior secretaries for communications and civil affairs, along with three other aides.