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President Lee's approval rebounds slightly to 51.4% on diplomacy, R&D funding

Published: 25 Aug. 2025, 11:34 Updated: 25 Aug. 2025, 17:32

President Lee Jae Myung, right, and first lady Kim Hea Kyung wave as they board the presidential plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Aug. 24. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating stands at 51.4 percent, halting a three-week decline, according to a public opinion poll released Monday.

The result was seen as the outcome of both positive factors, such as visits to the United States and Japan and an increase in research and development (R&D) funding, and negative factors, such as Liberation Day pardons and disputes over a special counsel investigation.

A Realmeter survey of 2,512 adults nationwide conducted from Aug. 18 to Friday found that positive assessments of Lee’s performance rose 0.3 percentage points from the previous week to 51.4 percent. Negative assessments rose 0.4 percentage points to 44.9 percent, leaving a 6.5 percentage point gap between the two.

Lee’s support fell from 63.3 percent in the fifth week of July to 56.5 percent in the first week of August, and then to 51.1 percent in the most recent survey, but rebounded slightly this time.

“His diplomatic and security activities and the increase in R&D funding served as positive factors, but disputes over the special counsel probe, backlash from the pardons and uncertainty over tax reform limited the rebound,” Realmeter said.

In terms of party support, backing for the liberal Democratic Party (DP) rose 5.9 percentage points from the previous week to 45.8 percent, returning to the 40 percent range. The conservative People Power Party (PPP) fell 1.2 points to 35.5 percent, widening the gap between the two to 10.3 points.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands after their joint press briefing on the results of their bilateral summit at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Aug. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

“The DP saw its base consolidate due to the special counsel investigation into first lady Kim Keon Hee, its attacks on the previous administration and its push for the broadcasting reform bills and the 'Yellow Envelope Bill,'” Realmeter explained. “The PPP, meanwhile, was weighed down by the burden of the special counsel probe and conflicts surrounding its leadership election.”

The splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party recorded 3.2 percent support, down 2.5 percentage points. The splinter conservative Reform Party stood at 3.4 percent, while the progressive Jinbo Party registered 1.5 percent.

Support for the Rebuilding Korea Party had risen until last week following the Liberation Day pardon of its founder, Cho Kuk, but turned downward this week.

“Support for the Rebuilding Korea Party declined after the pardons,” Realmeter said, “Some supporters appear to have shifted to the DP amid calls for caution toward Cho from within the ruling camp and controversy over his so-called commoner cosplay.”

The party support poll was conducted on 1,004 adults on Thursday and Friday. Both surveys were conducted via automated telephone response. The presidential approval survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, while the party support survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

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.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]