President Lee's Approval Rating Hits Record High 66%

President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has reached 66%, the highest since he took office in June last year, according to a poll released on the 13th.

The survey, conducted by Gallup Korea from the 10th to 12th among 1,002 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide, found that 66% of respondents rated his job performance as "doing well." The figure is up 1 percentage point from the previous survey, marking the highest level since President Lee's inauguration. Notably, positive evaluations exceeded negative ones across all age groups and regions. Meanwhile, negative assessments of "doing poorly" fell 1 percentage point to 24%. Those who reserved judgment accounted for 11%.

Top reasons for positive evaluations included "economy and livelihood" (20%), "diplomacy" (10%), "overall good performance," "real estate policy," and "communication" (8% each).

Negative evaluations cited "economy, livelihood, and high exchange rates" (16%), "diplomacy," "dictatorship and unilateralism" (8%), and "overall poor performance" (7%).

In party support ratings, the Democratic Party of Korea rose 1 percentage point to 47%, the highest since the Lee administration's launch. The People Power Party fell 1 percentage point to 20%. Among moderate voters, the Democratic Party garnered 51% support compared to 12% for the People Power Party. The Rebuilding Korea Party received 2%, while the Reform Party and Progressive Party each received 1%.

When asked about favorability toward major parties, 50% of respondents said they view the Democratic Party favorably, while 39% said unfavorably. For the Rebuilding Korea Party, 25% expressed favorable views versus 60% unfavorable. The People Power Party recorded 19% favorable and 70% unfavorable.

The survey was conducted via telephone interviews (CATI) using randomly selected virtual mobile phone numbers provided by three mobile carriers. The response rate was 11.9%. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Further details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Committee website.