President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a youth-related event held at the Blue House in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Aug. 28.JOINT PRESS CORPS
President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating dipped below 40 percent for the first time since taking office last year on Monday, capping a seven-week downward spiral in support.
Lee’s positive assessment for state governance stood at 38.9 percent, down 1.3 percentage points from the previous week, in an automated response system survey of 2,509 adults conducted by pollster Realmeter between Aug. 24 and Friday.
Disapproval rose 1.8 percentage points to 58.7 percent, while 2.5 percent said they were unsure.
This marked the first time Lee’s approval rating had sunk into the 30 percent range since his inauguration in June last year, according to Realmeter’s regular polling.
“Public frustration over housing has intensified as home prices and jeonse [lump-sum housing deposits] and monthly rents have become a growing concern,” Realmeter said.
"The decision to reject the appointment of a Supreme Court justice nominee has also sparked questions over the constitutionality of the move. In addition, a series of missing persons cases on Jeju Island has fueled distrust of the police, while remarks by Rhyu Si-min have caused divisions within the ruling bloc.”
Rhyu, a prominent liberal commentator, said Lee’s governing style was eroding his support base. He also called Lee an “arrogant ruler” on Aug. 24.
The poll showed a shift at both ends. The share of those who rated him “very well” fell 2.0 percentage points to 25.8 percent, while those who rated him “very poorly” rose 2.3 percentage points to 47.3 percent over a week. The decline in support for the president was particularly pronounced among groups that had previously shown a strong affinity for him. His approval rating fell 7.5 percentage points among people in their 50s and 3.1 percentage points among those in their 40s.
By region, Lee’s approval rating dropped 8.5 percentage points in the Chungcheong region and 4.1 percentage points in the Jeolla region. By political orientation, support for Lee dropped 3.2 percentage points among moderates and 2.0 points among liberals.
President Lee Jae Myung presides over an emergency meeting about search-and-rescue efforts for missing Koreans in Nepal floods held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central Seoul on Aug. 27.YONHAP
“Lee has lost supporters over his real estate policies, while those who opposed Kim Min-seok as Democratic Party [DP] leader at the party’s Aug. 17 national convention have yet to come around,” said Seo Yong-ju, the head of the Mac political research institute.
The ruling DP recorded a support rating of 43.1 percent, compared to 37.7 percent for the opposition People Power Party (PPP), according to a separate survey of 1,006 people conducted between Thursday and Friday.
“A so-called decoupling, in which the president’s approval rating moves separately from his party’s support, has emerged across several polls in recent weeks,” Realmeter CEO Lee Taek-soo said.
Lee’s weaker showing than his own party caught the attention of DP supporters on Monday.
“I said three months ago that we would be in real trouble if the president’s approval rating fell into the 30-something range and decoupled from the party’s,” prominent liberal YouTuber Kim Ou-joon said on Monday. “Now both have happened.”
Other polls, however, complicate that picture. Lee is still ahead of the DP in telephone surveys.
Gallup Korea put Lee at 42 percent and the party at 39 percent in its survey conducted in the fourth week of August. The National Barometer Survey found Lee’s approval rating at 50 percent, compared to 41 percent for the DP, in a survey conducted in the same week.
Ruling Democratic Party chief Kim Min-seok drinks water at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Aug. 31.YONHAP
“For it to be considered decoupling, the share of self-identified DP supporters who don’t support the president would have to rise sharply, but it remains at around 10 percent,” said Cho Gwi-dong, strategy director at political advisory firm Min Consulting. “More importantly, the party has yet to conclude that putting the president front and center in an election would be untenable.”
The latest reshuffle in the Cabinet seems unlikely to bring a major policy shift. Lee replaced key members of his economic team on Sunday, including the finance and land ministers, but signaled that he would stick to his existing policies despite the slide in his approval rating.
“Public trust in a political group will be determined by who has actually delivered better lives for the people and who has the ability to do so,” Lee wrote on X shortly after the reshuffle.
DP insiders also believe that the personnel changes would not amount to a change of course.
“President Lee has sent a clear signal that he is sticking to his existing policies,” a DP official said. “Coordination between the party and the presidential office on real estate policy could be a turning point for his approval rating.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
