KSOI poll puts Lee's job approval at 41.2%

President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday. [Yonhap]

More than four in 10 South Koreans view President Lee Jae-myung's second-term Cabinet reshuffle negatively, according to a poll released Wednesday. Negative assessments of Lee's overall job performance outpaced positive ones by more than 10 percentage points, with 53.9 percent disapproving.

The Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) surveyed 1,000 adults aged 18 and older nationwide from Monday through Tuesday, asking them to evaluate the reshuffling of six Cabinet posts under the Lee administration. The results showed 46.6 percent disapproved of the reshuffle, while 37.7 percent approved and 15.6 percent said they were unsure.

Disapproval outweighed approval across all age groups except those in their 50s, with younger respondents particularly critical. Among those in their 20s, only 17.1 percent approved while 56.4 percent disapproved — a gap of 39.3 percentage points. Among those in their 30s, 27.9 percent approved and 54.0 percent disapproved.

Respondents in their 40s were nearly evenly split, with 43.3 percent approving and 44.3 percent disapproving. Those in their 50s were the only age group where approval exceeded disapproval, at 56.5 percent versus 34.6 percent. Among those in their 60s, 43.2 percent approved and 46.0 percent disapproved, while among those 70 and older, the figures were 31.6 percent and 48.4 percent, respectively.

Regionally, disapproval in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province area reached 58.7 percent — more than double the approval rate of 26.2 percent. In the Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province region, however, approval led at 46.2 percent against 27.7 percent disapproval. The Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province region recorded the highest approval rate at 56.3 percent, with disapproval at 31.3 percent.

Ideological divides were also pronounced. Among self-identified progressives, 61.8 percent approved of the reshuffle versus 27.8 percent who disapproved. Among conservatives, disapproval reached 72.4 percent while approval was limited to 19.1 percent. Even among moderates, disapproval edged out approval, at 48.5 percent versus 41.6 percent.

KSOI said the reshuffle had been expected to signal a fresh start through personnel changes at a time when the president's approval rating was declining, but the results showed it had not shifted existing negative perceptions significantly. The institute added that future assessments of the reshuffle — and the trajectory of the president's approval rating — would likely depend on controversies surrounding some nominees and how their confirmation hearings unfold.

The same poll found Lee's overall job approval at 41.2 percent, with 53.9 percent disapproving — a gap of 12.7 percentage points in favor of the negative.

Regionally, disapproval exceeded 50 percent in every area except the Honam region. Among moderates, disapproval also led, at 52.7 percent versus 45.0 percent approval.

Among conservatives, 82.1 percent gave Lee's performance a negative rating, with only 14.7 percent approving. Among progressives, the trend ran in the opposite direction, with 65.2 percent approving and 32.5 percent disapproving.

The poll was conducted using an automated response system via virtual mobile numbers provided by three telecommunications carriers. The response rate was 5.9 percent, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. For further details, visit the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.


mp1256@heraldcorp.com