President Lee's Approval Rating Falls 2.2 Percentage Points to 35.2% [The Asia Business Daily-Realmeter Poll]

Asia Business Daily-Realmeter Regular Poll for the Second Week of October
Job Approval Falls Amid National Assembly Audit and Other Factors
People Power Party at 41.3%, Democratic Party of Korea at 35.5%

President Lee Jae-myung’s job approval rating fell for the second consecutive week, to 35.2%. The Democratic Party of Korea’s approval rating also dropped sharply to 35.5%, while the People Power Party’s rose to 41.3%.

According to a regular poll conducted by Realmeter, a polling firm, at the request of The Asia Business Daily and released on October 12, the president’s job approval rating stood at 35.2%, down 2.2 percentage points from the weekly tally for the previous week (the first week of October). The survey was conducted from October 6 to 8 among 1,504 voters aged 18 or older nationwide using an automated response system over mobile phones. The margin of error was ±2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 2.8%. Of respondents, 24.1% said he was doing a very good job and 11.1% said he was doing a fairly good job.

Negative assessments rose 1.6 percentage points from the previous week’s poll to 61.4% (50.5% said he was doing a very poor job and 10.9% said he was doing a fairly poor job). Negative assessments thus exceeded positive assessments by 26.2 percentage points, outside the margin of error. Some 3.4% said they were unsure.

Daily figures showed the approval rating trending downward toward the end of the period. It stood at 38.4% on October 2, then fell to 35.2% on October 7 and 34.2% on October 8.

By region, the rating fell 8.7 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong (from 42.4% to 33.7%) and 4.7 percentage points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang (from 35.1% to 30.4%). By age group, it fell 7.6 percentage points among those aged 70 or older (from 39.3% to 31.7%) and 5.1 percentage points among those in their 40s (from 42.4% to 37.3%). By ideological leaning, support fell 3.9 percentage points among conservatives (from 14.1% to 10.2%), 3.5 percentage points among moderates (from 42.7% to 39.2%), and 1.4 percentage points among progressives (from 54.4% to 53.0%).

A Realmeter official explained, "The controversy over the clash involving Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and the independence of the judiciary, the ruling and opposition parties’ security dispute over the land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and rising jeonse and monthly rents and apartment prices in the Seoul metropolitan area all appear to have driven the drop in approval, as these setbacks involving personnel, security and real estate became focal issues in the parliamentary audit."

According to a party approval poll conducted from October 7 to 8 among 1,004 voters aged 18 or older nationwide using an automated response system over mobile phones, the Democratic Party of Korea’s approval rating stood at 35.5%, down 7.0 percentage points from the previous week’s poll. The People Power Party’s approval rating stood at 41.3%, up 2.9 percentage points. The margin of error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 2.6%.

Although the difference was within the margin of error, the two parties switched places in the rankings. The gap between them was 5.8 percentage points. The Rebuilding Korea Party received 6.3%, the Reform Party 2.8%, the Progressive Party 1.2%, other parties 1.8%, and independents 11.0%. Notably, the Rebuilding Korea Party’s approval rating has risen for two consecutive weeks, reaching the 6% range.

By region, the Democratic Party of Korea’s approval rating fell 14.0 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong, 10.0 points in Incheon and Gyeonggi, 6.8 points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, and 5.7 points in South Jeolla and Gwangju and North Jeolla. The People Power Party’s rating rose 11.8 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong and 5.9 points in Incheon and Gyeonggi.

By age group, the Democratic Party of Korea’s rating fell 17.0 percentage points among those in their 40s, 8.8 points among those in their 20s, and 7.0 points among those in their 60s. The People Power Party’s rating rose 5.6 percentage points among those in their 60s. By gender, the Democratic Party of Korea’s rating fell 10.5 percentage points among men, while the People Power Party’s rose 8.4 points. The 14.0-percentage-point drop in the Democratic Party of Korea’s rating among progressives also drew attention.

A Realmeter official said, "The Democratic Party of Korea’s rating appears to have fallen considerably as setbacks piled up, including the dispute involving Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae at the Legislation and Judiciary Committee and the controversy over efforts to impeach him, its conflict with the Rebuilding Korea Party over the restructuring of investigative powers, and uncertainty over jeonse and monthly rents in the Seoul metropolitan area. Supporters, particularly progressives and people in their 40s, appear to have drifted away."

Regarding the People Power Party, the official said, "The party appears to have gained in approval by capitalizing on public criticism of the government and ruling party. Early in the parliamentary audit, it stepped up its attacks on the government over security issues, including the DMZ land mine explosion, and over the decision to accept testimony from Supreme Court Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae and the impeachment dispute. Controversies over government policies, including a comprehensive investigation of farmland and investment in the United States, also added to the criticism."

For more information about the poll, visit the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission. Realmeter’s regular weekly polls will be conducted and released at the request of The Asia Business Daily starting in the second week of October.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.