A new poll released Monday shows President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating fell in the days surrounding the June 3 local elections.

The survey, conducted by Realmeter on behalf of the Energy Economy Newspaper, polled 2,013 registered voters aged 18 and older nationwide from June 1 to 2 and June 4 to 5. It found that 55.2 percent of respondents gave a positive assessment of Lee's job performance — down 3.9 percentage points from the previous week. Negative assessments rose 4.2 percentage points to 41.0 percent, while 3.8 percent said they did not know.

Realmeter attributed the decline to several converging factors. "Criticism over administrative responsibility for the ballot shortage crisis overlapped with calls to check the government following the Democratic Party's failure to recapture the Seoul mayor's seat," the pollster said. "A sharp rise in the exchange rate late in the week added to the headwinds, causing the approval rating to drop sharply from the day after the local elections."

A separate party support survey of 1,004 adults aged 18 and older nationwide, conducted June 4 to 5, showed the Democratic Party of Korea at 41.8 percent and the People Power Party at 41.1 percent.

The Democratic Party fell 3.1 percentage points from the previous survey, while the PPP gained 2.6 percentage points.

Realmeter said the Democratic Party won the local elections by securing 12 regional government head seats, but its failure to retake the Seoul mayor's office — a symbolically significant prize — weighed on its numbers. "Defeats in key battlegrounds such as Busan's Buk-gap district and Gyeonggi Province's Pyeongtaek in the by-elections also contributed, with notable defections among centrist voters and those in their 30s," the pollster said.

Both surveys were conducted via automated response calls to mobile phones.

The presidential job approval poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 5.7 percent. The party support poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 5.6 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.


bigroot@heraldcorp.com