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Lee's approval rating drops to 59 percent

Published: 15 Aug. 2025, 16:23

President Lee Jae Myung delivers a speech marking the 80th anniversary of Liberation Day during a ceremony held at the Sejong Center for Performing Arts in Seoul on Aug. 15. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating dropped to 59 percent, a survey showed Friday, amid controversy over his first round of special pardons for political figures.

In the Gallup Korea survey of 1,007 adults conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, the positive assessment of Lee's performance fell 5 percentage points from the previous poll conducted in mid-July, while the negative assessment stood at 30 percent.

Respondents cited Lee's special amnesty for political figures and businesspeople, as well as his excessive welfare and livelihood support, as reasons for their negative assessment.

The approval rating for the ruling Democratic Party (DP) fell 5 percentage points to 41 percent, while support for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) increased 3 percentage points to 22 percent.

In the same survey, 43 percent of respondents said they supported former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's special pardon, while 48 percent replied they were against it.

By party, 76 percent of DP supporters favored the pardon, and 87 percent of PPP supporters opposed it.

On Monday, Lee granted special pardons to several politicians convicted of embezzlement and other serious offenses, including Cho, who was convicted of academic fraud involving his daughter.

Cho was released early Friday after serving eight months of his two-year sentence.

The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Yonhap