Lee’s Approval Rating Rises for Second Week to 37.9%

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating rose for a second consecutive week to 37.9 percent, according to a new Realmeter survey, interrupting a prolonged decline and offering the administration a modest lift amid scrutiny of its personnel choices.

The poll of 1,508 adults nationwide was conducted from Monday through Wednesday last week. Positive assessments of Lee’s performance increased by 3.1 percentage points from the previous week, while negative assessments declined by 3.3 points to 60.1 percent.

Lee’s rating had fallen for 10 consecutive weeks before reversing course in the prior survey. Realmeter attributed the latest improvement in part to the president’s Sept. 18 press conference, where he addressed major political questions, and to his diplomatic activity surrounding the United Nations General Assembly and a South Korea-U.S. summit.

The polling firm also pointed to recent changes involving senior administration figures. Justice minister nominee Kim Seung-won withdrew from consideration, while presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign. Realmeter said those developments were perceived by some respondents as evidence that Lee was willing to pursue personnel reform after criticism of the administration’s vetting process.

The shift in the president’s personal rating did not translate into a clear advantage for the governing party. In a separate survey of 1,005 adults conducted Tuesday and Wednesday, support for the main opposition People Power Party reached 39.4 percent. The ruling Democratic Party registered 38.7 percent. It was the first time in two weeks that the opposition party had moved ahead in Realmeter’s polling.

Realmeter said the People Power Party appeared to have consolidated support by highlighting weaknesses in the government’s personnel screening after two ministerial nominees withdrew. The 0.7-point gap between the two parties was nevertheless smaller than the survey’s stated margin of error, indicating that neither side held a statistically decisive lead.

The presidential job-approval survey carried a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. The party-support survey had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points at the same confidence level. Both polls were commissioned by EKN newspaper.

The results present a mixed political picture: Lee has recovered some support after weeks of losses, but negative assessments remain above 60 percent and the governing party faces a closely divided electorate. Whether the rebound continues may depend on how the administration handles personnel decisions and converts high-profile diplomacy into gains on domestic concerns.