Key facts
- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has fallen below 40 percent for the first time.
- A Realmeter survey found 38.9 percent approval and 58.7 percent disapproval.
- Public dissatisfaction with housing policy is a primary reason for the decline.
- Controversy over a Supreme Court justice nominee and police handling of a missing person case also impacted ratings.
President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has dipped below 40 percent for the first time since he assumed office in June of last year, according to a poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter for the EKN newspaper, found that 38.9 percent of 2,509 respondents aged 18 and older gave a positive assessment of Lee's performance, a decrease of 1.3 percentage points from the prior week. Conversely, 58.7 percent expressed negative views, an increase of 1.8 percentage points.
Realmeter attributed the decline to public discontent over rising housing prices, a controversy surrounding the presidential office's decision not to nominate a Supreme Court justice candidate recommended by the chief justice without prior consultation, and a loss of public trust in the police following an incident involving a missing woman on Jeju Island. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.
In a separate poll of 1,006 individuals conducted Thursday and Friday, the approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party rose 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 43.1 percent. The main opposition People Power Party also saw its approval rating increase by 0.1 percentage point to 37.7 percent. This poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.