President Lee's Approval Hits Record 67% as PPP Support Falls to 17%

President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating has reached its highest point since taking office, according to a poll released on the 26th.

The National Barometer Survey (NBS), conducted by Embrain Public, Kstat Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from the 23rd to 25th of this month among 1,002 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, found that 67% of respondents rated the president as "doing well." This represents a 4 percentage point increase from the previous survey, marking his highest approval since inauguration.

Negative evaluations fell to 25%, down 5 percentage points from the previous survey.

On the direction of his administration, 64% said it is "heading in the right direction," while 29% said it is "heading in the wrong direction." Positive responses were dominant across all age groups.

In party support, the Democratic Party of Korea rose to 45%, up 4 percentage points. The People Power Party (PPP) fell to 17%, down 5 percentage points—lower than the 26% recorded in surveys conducted immediately after the martial law incident. The decline is attributed to recent controversies surrounding the party leadership's refusal to sever ties with former President Yoon Seok-yeol.

Regionally, the Democratic Party led in all areas except Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, where both parties tied.

Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheong-rae received 43% positive and 42% negative ratings for his performance. Among Democratic supporters, his approval reached 71%. PPP leader Jang Dong-hyeok received 23% positive and 62% negative ratings.

Regarding the first trial verdict for former President Yoon, 42% said the life sentence was "too light given the charges," 26% said it was "appropriate," and 23% said it was "wrong because he should be acquitted."

The NBS survey was conducted via mobile phone interviews with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 14.9%. Details are available on the National Election Survey Deliberation Committee website.