President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating remains stuck below 40 percent, failing to rebound despite a cabinet reshuffle, a press conference and partial policy adjustments following the local elections.
A Realmeter survey released Monday, conducted from Sept. 28 to Friday on 2,515 adults aged 18 and older nationwide on behalf of Energy Economy Newspaper, put Lee's positive job approval at 37.4 percent — down 0.5 percentage points from the previous week. His negative rating edged down 0.3 percentage points to 59.8 percent, while 2.8 percent responded "don't know."
Party support ratings showed a tight race at the top. A separate Realmeter survey of 1,009 eligible voters aged 18 and older, conducted Thursday through Friday, put the Democratic Party of Korea at 42.5 percent and the People Power Party at 38.4 percent. The Democratic Party rose 3.8 percentage points from the previous poll, while the People Power Party fell 1.0 percentage point.
The Rebuilding Korea Party gained 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to reach 5.2 percent. The Reform Party stood at 1.5 percent and the Progressive Party at 1.3 percent. Other parties accounted for 1.6 percent, while those with no party affiliation made up 9.5 percent.
Realmeter cited positive factors including the government's announcement of welfare and livelihood policies backed by 63 trillion won ($46.3 billion) in surplus tax revenue, but said negative forces outweighed them. These included controversy over the creation of the Public Prosecution Office and the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency and the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as its chief, a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, diplomatic friction with Ukraine, and instability in the Greater Seoul jeonse and monthly rent market — all of which appeared to weigh on public confidence in the administration.
The presidential job approval survey carried a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 3.9 percent. The party support survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 3.0 percent. Both surveys were conducted entirely via automated response on mobile phones. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.
choijh@heraldcorp.com
