President Lee’s Approval Rating Falls to 35.3% in New Poll

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating fell to 35.3 percent in a new nationwide poll, reversing a rebound recorded in the previous week as concerns over housing and the economy weighed on public sentiment.

Realmeter surveyed 2,517 adults across South Korea from Monday through Friday. Positive assessments of Lee’s job performance declined by 2 percentage points from the prior week, while negative assessments rose by 1.9 points to 62.3 percent.

The pollster linked the change in part to mounting concern about the housing market and broader economic conditions, including a recent fall in stock prices. Those issues place household finances and the government’s economic management at the center of the latest shift in sentiment.

Realmeter also cited security and governance controversies. North Korea has threatened to resume loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea, adding to tensions along the inter-Korean border. Separately, debate has emerged over whether the head of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency should participate in Cabinet meetings.

A second Realmeter survey indicated a different movement in party support. Among 1,003 adults polled on Thursday and Friday, support for the ruling Democratic Party slipped by 0.2 percentage point to 36 percent. Support for the main opposition People Power Party increased by 1.7 points to 42.6 percent. The result put the opposition party 6.6 percentage points ahead in that survey.

The presidential job approval poll carried a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. The political party survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the same confidence level. The presidential survey ran across five days, while the smaller party survey covered the final two days of that period. Both surveys were commissioned by the Asia Business Daily.

The latest figures offer a snapshot of public opinion rather than a direct measure of electoral outcomes. They nevertheless show that economic anxieties, housing concerns and renewed questions about security and Cabinet governance are converging as challenges for the administration. The contrasting movements in presidential approval and party support will also be closely watched for signs of whether the shift persists in subsequent polling.