[PollPoll News] President Lee's Approval Falls to 50% Range... Lowest Since Inauguration

Realmeter Poll
Democratic Party Approval Falls Below 50%
"Impact of Lee Choonseok Controversy and Cho Kuk Pardon Issue"

President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for state affairs has fallen into the 50% range, marking the lowest point since his inauguration, according to a recent survey.

On August 11, polling agency Realmeter released the results of a public opinion poll commissioned by Energy Economy News. The survey was conducted from August 4 to 8 among 2,506 voters aged 18 or older nationwide, using a 100% wireless automated response method. The margin of error was ±2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. According to the results, President Lee's approval rating dropped by 6.8 percentage points from the previous week, reaching 56.5%.

Realmeter analyzed, "The controversy over the stock transfer tax that erupted early in the week, as well as suspicions of stock transactions under borrowed names by lawmaker Lee Choonseok, heightened public distrust. In the latter part of the week, the controversy over pardons for Cho Kuk and Yoon Mihyang on Liberation Day further intensified the downward trend in approval ratings."

Yonhap News

The negative evaluation rose by 6.8 percentage points to 38.2%. As a result, the gap between positive and negative evaluations narrowed from 31.9 percentage points last week to 18.3 percentage points.

By region, support dropped significantly in areas where approval ratings have traditionally been weak, with declines of 18.0 percentage points in Daegu·Gyeongbuk and 17.4 percentage points in Busan·Ulsan·Gyeongnam. Among conservatives, the approval rating also fell by 3.0 percentage points.

In a separate party support survey conducted from August 7 to 8 among 1,006 voters aged 18 or older nationwide, also using a 100% wireless automated response method and a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, support for the Democratic Party dropped by 6.1 percentage points to 48.4%. Support for the People Power Party rose by 3.1 percentage points to 30.3%. The Reform New Party increased by 0.3 percentage points to 3.1%, while the Cho Kuk Innovation Party rose by 1.4 percentage points to 4.0%.

Realmeter explained, "The Democratic Party's internal morality issues, such as the suspicions of stock transactions under borrowed names by lawmaker Lee Choonseok, as well as extreme confrontations between the parties over the Broadcasting Act and the People Power Party being bypassed, have fueled distrust and led to significant defections of supporters in regions such as Yeongnam and Honam. The People Power Party has recovered its support due to the negative developments affecting the Democratic Party and increased interest in its internal leadership race."

For more details, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.