President Lee Jae Myung [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung [Yonhap]

A poll released Monday shows President Lee Jae Myung's job approval rating has fallen for six consecutive weeks, setting a new low.

Realmeter surveyed 2,026 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide on behalf of the Energy Economy Newspaper from Tuesday to Friday last week. Some 40.2 percent gave a positive assessment of Lee's job performance — down 2.8 percentage points from the previous week.

The negative rating rose 2.8 percentage points to 56.9 percent, outpacing the positive rating outside the margin of error for the fourth consecutive week. Some 3.0 percent of respondents said they did not know.

Realmeter attributed the decline to growing public distrust over the administration's real estate policy, citing controversy surrounding a housing supply plan for Yongsan Park. The firm added that the slide was compounded by partisan clashes over Chief Justice Jo Hee-dae's written nomination and the push for constitutional reform, as well as security concerns stemming from a reduction in joint South Korea-US military exercises — factors that accelerated the departure of conservative voters and those aged 70 and older.

A separate party approval survey conducted Thursday and Friday among 1,009 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide showed the Democratic Party of Korea at 41.9 percent and the People Power Party at 37.6 percent. The Democratic Party fell 6.0 percentage points from the previous poll, while the PPP rose 4.5 percentage points.

Realmeter said the Democratic Party's drop reflected the fading of a convention bounce after its party leadership election concluded, compounded by internal friction over real estate policy and disputes within the Kim Min-seok leadership over the appointment of designated supreme council members. The PPP, meanwhile, capitalized on public unease over the ruling party's handling of the real estate situation and security anxieties over the scaled-back joint military exercises, consolidating conservative support and absorbing voters who had drifted from the Democratic Party — with gains particularly notable among those in their 30s, those aged 70 and older, and residents of Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province.

The Rebuilding Korea Party stood at 3.9 percent, the Progressive Party at 2.3 percent and the Reform Party at 2.0 percent. Other parties combined for 2.5 percent, while unaffiliated respondents accounted for 9.7 percent.

Both surveys were conducted via automated response on 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 3.2 percent. The party approval 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 2.9 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.


bigroot@heraldcorp.com