President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating fell for a seventh straight week and dropped below 40% for the first time since he took office, according to a poll released on the 31st.
The survey, conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy Newspaper from the 24th to the 28th among 2,509 voters aged 18 and over nationwide, put Lee's approval rating at 38.9%, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous week. It marked the seventh consecutive weekly decline and the first reading in the 30% range since he assumed office.
The drop was most pronounced among voters in their 40s and 50s, groups seen as core supporters of the president. Support among those in their 40s fell 3.1 percentage points from the previous week to 43.6%. Among those in their 50s, it dropped 7.5 percentage points to 40.8% from 48.3% a week earlier.
Negative assessments rose 1.8 percentage points from the previous week. The gap between positive and negative assessments stood at 19.8 percentage points. Those who said they did not know accounted for 2.5%.
Realmeter said the decline reflected worsening public sentiment over housing, driven by home prices and lease costs, compounded by a constitutional dispute over the refusal to appoint a Supreme Court justice nominee, distrust of the police stemming from a disappearance case on Jeju Island, and internal friction within the governing bloc over remarks by writer Rhyu Si-min.
In a separate survey of 1,006 voters aged 18 and over conducted on the 27th and 28th, support for the Democratic Party of Korea rose 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 43.1%. The People Power Party slipped 0.1 percentage point to 37.7%. The gap between the two parties was 5.4 percentage points.
Realmeter said the Democratic Party's gain appeared to stem from party unity efforts following the inauguration of new leader Kim Min-seok, including the creation of a grand unification task force, along with an emphasis on reform and livelihood messaging that rallied support in the Honam region, among voters in their 30s and among self-identified progressives.
For the People Power Party, Realmeter said the party had stressed unity around the first anniversary of leader Jang Dong-hyuk's inauguration, including moves to strengthen the rights of rank-and-file members, and had shored up cohesion through former President Park Geun-hye's attendance at a party workshop. But continued internal conflict over the suspension of direct elections for district chapter chairs kept the rating flat, the pollster said.
Elsewhere, the Rebuilding Korea Party recorded 4.4%, the Reform Party 2.6% and the Progressive Party 1.4%. Other parties accounted for 1.7%, and 9.0% said they had no party preference.
The presidential approval survey had a response rate of 3.9% and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey had a response rate of 3.7% and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Both surveys were conducted entirely by automated response system via mobile phones. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
