President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating stood at 62.2%, according to a poll released Friday.
The survey, conducted by Realmeter on behalf of Energy Economy Shinmun from Monday through Friday on 2,509 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, showed the president's approval rating at 62.2%. While Lee's rating had reached a record high the previous week, it declined 3.3 percentage points over the past week.
Realmeter said, "Despite positive signals from summit diplomacy such as the India and Vietnam summits and record highs in the KOSPI, the approval rating appears to have undergone a downward adjustment as the burden on people's livelihoods grew due to high oil prices and inflation stemming from the Middle East war." The firm also cited Unification Minister Chung Dong-young's controversial "core nuclear facilities remark" as a factor behind the decline.
The disapproval rating rose 3.4 percentage points from the previous week to 33.4%. Those who answered "don't know" accounted for 4.4%.
Meanwhile, in a separate party support survey conducted Thursday and Friday on 1,006 voters aged 18 and older nationwide, the Democratic Party received 51.3% support, while the People Power Party garnered 30.7%. The Democratic Party's rating rose 0.8 percentage points from the previous week, marking its third consecutive weekly gain. In contrast, the People Power Party fell 0.7 percentage points, remaining in the low 30% range for the fifth consecutive week. The People Power Party saw particularly sharp declines of 10.9 percentage points in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province and 9.9 percentage points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. The gap between the two parties widened to 20.6 percentage points, staying outside the margin of error for 12 straight weeks.
Realmeter said, "Ahead of the local elections, Chairman Jeong Cheong-rae has been strengthening party cohesion by visiting sites across the country on a livelihood-focused tour, which appears to have translated into the rating gains." It added, "The People Power Party's decline can be interpreted as stemming from significant defections in its core Yeongnam base amid the combined impact of diplomatic controversy surrounding Chairman Jang Dong-hyuk's visit to the United States and internal nomination conflicts for the local elections."
Elsewhere, the Reform Party received 3.6%, the Rebuilding Korea Party 2.5% and the Progressive Party 1.3%. Voters with no party affiliation accounted for 7.2%.
The presidential job approval survey drew responses from 2,509 voters aged 18 and older nationwide from Monday through Friday, with a response rate of 5.4%. The margin of error is ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey was conducted on 1,006 voters aged 18 and older nationwide on Thursday and Friday, with a response rate of 4.3%. The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Both surveys were conducted using automated response systems via mobile phones (100%). Detailed information is available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
