Post made on X during European tour; president says he will 'humbly accept' public's verdict

President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a press conference marking his first year in office, held at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan on Monday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae-myung speaks at a press conference marking his first year in office, held at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan on Monday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae-myung apologized to the public Wednesday after his approval rating fell more than 9 percentage points following the June 3 local elections, posting the message on X while on a European tour.

"I am sorry, fellow citizens," Lee wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "I humbly accept the public's candid verdict."

The direct apology was unusual for Lee, and came as his approval rating — which had been approaching 60 percent — dropped sharply after the local elections.

He added that he would "adopt a lower posture, be more humble, open wider, embrace more, and work harder."

The post came as a new poll released Wednesday showed his approval rating had fallen into the 50-percent range. A survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), conducted June 8 and 9 among 1,002 people aged 18 and older nationwide, found that 50.4 percent rated Lee's job performance positively. That was down 9.4 percentage points from the previous survey, conducted May 26 to 27, before the local elections.

The share of respondents who rated his performance negatively rose 10.5 percentage points to 45.7 percent.

The survey on presidential job performance and party approval used an automated response system with wireless virtual numbers. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 5.8 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

The poll was conducted during Lee's first-anniversary press conference on Monday, and is believed to reflect public sentiment at that time. At the event, Lee addressed the local election results, saying, "If we lost where we needed to win, that is at minimum not a success," and called the outcome "a warning from the people." He also stressed the role of his ruling Democratic Party of Korea, saying, "The approach of attacking to take a castle is completely different from defending one. The opposition must wield the spear well. But the ruling party must be the vessel."


moone@heraldcorp.com