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President Lee's approval rating dips to 62.2% amid minister nomination controversies

Published: 21 Jul. 2025, 11:41 Updated: 21 Jul. 2025, 20:16

President Lee Jae Myung speaks to his Cabinet members during a dinner at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, central Seoul on July 17. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating dipped slightly to 62.2 percent last week, marking the first decline since his inauguration, according to polling results released on Monday.

Polling agency Realmeter conducted a survey of 2,514 voters aged 18 and above nationwide from July 14 to 18. The results showed that 62.2 percent thought Lee was "doing well" in his handling of state affairs.

Among them, 51.9 percent said he was doing “very well,” while 10.3 percent said he was doing “somewhat well.” The positive rating fell 2.4 percentage points from the previous week.

On the other hand, negative assessment rose 2.3 percentage points to 32.3 percent. Of these, 25.2 percent said Lee was doing “very poorly,” and 7.2 percent “somewhat poorly.”

Positive feedback fell across various demographics and regions. For Seoul, it fell 7.4 percentage points, while in Gwangju and the Jeolla regions, it fell 5.9 percentage points. In Daegu and North Gyeongsang, the figure declined by 3.8 percentage points. In Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, approval fell 2.7 percentage points, and Incheon and Gyeonggi, it fell by 1.5 percentage points.

Positive ratings from women fell 3 percentage points, and from men, they fell 1.9 percentage points. From those in their 60s, a 4 percentage point decline was recorded, with scores from those in their 50s falling 3.9 percentage points. Approval fell from those aged 70 and older by 2 percentage points. Among conservatives, it dropped 4.7 percentage points.

Lee’s approval had steadily increased since his inauguration: 58.6 percent in the second week of June, 59.3 percent in the third week, 59.7 percent in the fourth week, 62.1 percent in the first week of July and 64.6 percent in the second week.

Gender Equality Minister nominee Kang Sun-woo, left, and Education Minister nominee Lee Jin-sook, right, are seen during their respective confirmation hearings at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on July 16. [LIM HYUN-DONG]

Realmeter attributed the decline to political and social instability, including contentious confirmation hearings for ministerial nominees Kang Sun-woo and Lee Jin-sook, the special counsel's raids related to the insurrection investigation and the impact of recent record-breaking torrential rains.

Kang has been accused of workplace bullying, while Lee Jin-sook faced allegations of thesis plagiarism and appropriation.

Support for the Democratic Party (DP) also fell for the first time in four weeks. It dropped 5.4 percentage points to 50.8 percent. The opposition People Power Party (PPP) gained 3.1 percentage points to reach 27.4 percent, narrowing the gap between the two from 31.9 percentage points to 23.4 percentage points.

That party support survey was conducted between July 17 to 18 on 1,003 respondents.

Realmeter interpreted the DP’s drop as tied to the president’s approval decline, the failure of ministerial nominees to provide satisfactory explanations during hearings, and strong calls from the opposition for their resignation.

Woo Sang-ho, presidential political affairs secretary, speaks during a press conference at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on July 20. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The PPP’s rebound was attributed to conservative voter consolidation in regions like Daegu and North Gyeongsang and a backlash against the DP’s ongoing ethics and personnel scandals.

Following the two major parties were the Rebuilding Korea Party and the Reform Party, each at 3.9 percent, the Jinbo Party at 1.3 percent, other parties at 4.1 percent and unaffiliated voters at 8.6 percent.

Both the presidential approval and party support surveys were conducted using an automated response system, with response rates of 5.2 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively. The margins of error were plus or minus 2.0 percentage points and plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, at a 95 percent confidence level. More information can be found on Realmeter’s website or the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [[email protected]]