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Lee's approval slips to 54.5% on Kweon arrest vote, special counsel bills

Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 13:46 Updated: 15 Sep. 2025, 20:02

President Lee Jae Myung presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul on Sept. 9. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating dropped to 54.5 percent, according to a survey released Monday.

Polling agency Realmeter said Monday that a survey of 2,515 voters nationwide, conducted from Monday to Friday at the request of Energy Economy News, showed 54.5 percent of respondents viewed Lee’s performance positively, down 1.5 percentage points from the previous week.

Lee’s approval rating had risen for three consecutive weeks but dipped slightly last week. Those who rated his performance negatively rose 1.9 percentage points to 41.1 percent, while 4.4 percent responded “don’t know.”

The decline came after the National Assembly passed a motion to strip the immunity of Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the People Power Party (PPP) and negotiations over three special prosecutor bills collapsed.

“Political turmoil weighed on support for the president, ending the week on a downturn,” Realmeter said.

By region, support fell across most areas, including in the traditionally liberal Gwangju and Jeolla region, where it dropped 2 points to 73.1 percent. In Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang, however, approval rose 3.3 points to 54.6 percent.

President Lee Jae Myung presides enters a venue at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul for an appointment ceremony on Sept. 9. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

By age group, support declined most among voters in their 20s, at 39.8 percent, down 4.2 points, and those in their 40s, at 66.3 percent, down 2.3 points. Among moderates, approval dropped 2.7 points to 57 percent.

In a separate Realmeter survey of 1,001 voters conducted from Thursday to Friday, party support stood at 44.3 percent for the Democratic Party (DP) and 36.4 percent for the PPP.

The DP’s support edged down 0.3 points, while the PPP rose 0.2 points, marking its third straight week of gains. The gap between the two parties narrowed slightly from 8.4 points last week to 7.9 points.

Realmeter attributed the DP’s decline in approval to internal conflict over the special prosecutor bills over investigations into Kim Keon Hee, a Marine's death in 2023 and ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, while the PPP benefited from its aggressive stance in the negotiations. The Rebuilding Korea Party polled at 2.6 percent, the Reform Party at 4.4 percent and the Jinbo Party at 1.5 percent.

Both surveys were conducted via automated phone response. The presidential approval poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 5.1 percent. The party support poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points at a 95 percent confidence level, with a response rate of 4.2 percent.

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 KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]