Gap between two parties widens to 6.3 percentage points, outside margin of error; President Lee's approval falls for fourth consecutive week

People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won draws a Taegukgi at the handball gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 14, as a "ballot-counting station blockade protest" against the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections continues. [Yonhap]
People Power Party lawmaker Na Kyung-won draws a Taegukgi at the handball gymnasium at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on June 14, as a "ballot-counting station blockade protest" against the ballot shortage during the June 3 local elections continues. [Yonhap]

The Democratic Party of Korea has fallen to its lowest approval rating since President Lee Jae-myung took office, ceding the lead to the People Power Party, according to a poll released Monday.

In a Realmeter survey commissioned by the Energy Economy Newspaper, the Democratic Party recorded 38 percent support among 1,002 adults aged 18 and older nationwide — down 3.8 percentage points from the previous week's survey, conducted June 11-12. The figure marks the party's lowest rating under the current administration and its first time in the 30-percent range since August last year, a span of 10 months.

The People Power Party, by contrast, rose 3.2 percentage points to 44.3 percent — its highest mark under the current government — giving it a 6.3-percentage-point lead over the Democratic Party, a gap outside the margin of error.

Realmeter said the PPP appeared to have gained support from progressive and centrist voters as well as those in their 20s by taking a hard line on the election management crisis, including pushing for a parliamentary investigation into the National Election Commission and introducing a special prosecutor act. On the Democratic Party's decline, the pollster said defections were pronounced among key support bases — including voters in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon, the Honam region and progressive blocs — amid intensifying intraparty factional conflict over accountability for the local election results, the mismanaged election controversy, and calls for party leader Jung Chung-rae to step down.

Among smaller parties in the same survey, the Rebuilding Korea Party rose 0.9 percentage points to 3.7 percent, the Reform Party gained 0.3 percentage points to 2.8 percent, and the Progressive Party edged up 0.1 percentage point to 1.2 percent. Those with no party affiliation increased 0.2 percentage points to 7.8 percent.

A separate Realmeter survey, also commissioned by the Energy Economy Newspaper, showed President Lee's job approval rating fell 3.7 percentage points from the prior week to 51.5 percent — a fourth consecutive weekly decline. The poll covered 2,515 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide from June 8-12. His disapproval rating rose 3.2 percentage points to 44.2 percent, while 4.3 percent said they were unsure.

Realmeter attributed the continued slide to political turmoil stemming from the nationwide ballot shortage and counting errors during the June 3 local elections, which sparked university campus declarations of civic alarm and fueled calls for the National Election Commission to be held accountable for mismanagement. The pollster also cited economic headwinds — including a weak won and high inflation — as adding to household burdens and weighing on the president's ratings.

Both surveys were conducted entirely by automated response using wireless phones.

The party approval survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 3.8 percent. The presidential approval survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 4.3 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.


bigroot@heraldcorp.com