Yoon's Approval Rating Hits 17%, Sets Another Record Low [Polpol News]

Regular Public Opinion Survey Results by Gallup Korea
Lee Jae-myung and Democratic Party Support Rates Rise
All Indicators Worsen in Evaluation of Two and a Half Years of Government

President Yoon Suk-yeol's approval rating for his administration has hit a new low since his inauguration. Negative evaluations have reached their highest record since he took office. Meanwhile, the approval ratings for the Democratic Party of Korea and its leader Lee Jae-myung have risen, marking their highest levels this year.

According to a public opinion poll released on the 8th by Gallup Korea, the evaluation that "President Yoon is performing his duties well" dropped by 2 percentage points from the previous week's survey, recording 17%. Negative evaluations stating that he is performing poorly rose by 2 percentage points to 74%.

Looking at classifications by population and region, most respondents gave negative evaluations saying "he is performing poorly." In particular, among Democratic Party supporters, politically progressive groups, and people in their 40s, the proportion reached around 90%. The approval rating in Daegu-Gyeongbuk (TK), where President Yoon's support has been strong, was 23%. For those in their 60s, it was 23%, in their 70s, 34%, and among conservatives, 34%, with negative evaluations exceeding positive ones. However, among People Power Party supporters, positive evaluations were 47%, higher than negative evaluations at 44%.

The issue concerning First Lady Kim Geon-hee was identified as the biggest reason for negative evaluations (19%). In this survey, lack of experience/competence and incompetence increased by 3 percentage points to 6%.

President Yoon addressed and apologized for a series of issues including those related to First Lady Kim during a national address and press conference the day before. Regarding this, Gallup explained, "President Yoon held a press conference on the last day of the survey period, so the impact will need to be observed further." It is expected that the public opinion response will be clearer in next week's polls and other surveys.

In the party support survey, the People Power Party's approval rating fell by 3 percentage points from the previous week to 29%, while the Democratic Party rose by 4 percentage points to 36%. Gallup stated, "The two major parties have generally been neck and neck around 30% except during the People Power Party's primary election period after the general election, but this week the Democratic Party recorded its highest rating this year, widening the gap." The Innovation Party received 7%, and the non-affiliated group was 24%.

This time, there was also a survey on future presidential candidates. In this survey, Lee Jae-myung ranked first with 29%. Gallup explained, "This is the highest preference for Lee Jae-myung in the past three years." People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon received 14%, Innovation Party leader Jo Guk 5%, Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo 4%, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon 3%, Reform Party member Lee Jun-seok 3%, Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon 2%, and Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo 1%, respectively.

Marking 2 years and 6 months of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, evaluations of the government’s performance generally declined compared to previous surveys. Economic policy approval was at 15%, which is 4 percentage points lower than the May survey this year. North Korea policy approval dropped by 7 percentage points to 26% compared to the previous survey. Real estate policy approval fell by 6 percentage points to 17%, foreign policy dropped by 3 percentage points to 27%, and welfare policy decreased by 1 percentage point to 30%. Public official appointments approval declined by 4 percentage points to 10%, and education policy approval fell by 10 percentage points to 17%.

This survey was conducted as Gallup's regular survey from the 5th to the 7th, targeting 1,002 people aged 18 and over nationwide through telephone interviews by surveyors. The sampling error was ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, and the response rate was 11.8%. Detailed survey results can be found on the website of the Central Election Survey Deliberation Commission.