[Polpol News] President Lee's Approval Rating at 54.1%... Returns to Mid-50% After 4 Weeks

Realmeter poll shows 0.9 percentage point increase from previous week
Blue House restoration and positive economic indicators cited as favorable factors
Democratic Party up 1.2 percentage points, People Power Party down 0.2 percentage points

President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for state affairs has rebounded slightly after four weeks, returning to the mid-50% range.

According to a public opinion poll released by Realmeter on the 5th (commissioned by Energy Economy News and conducted over four days from December 29 of last year to January 2 this year, excluding holidays, targeting 2,025 voters aged 18 and older nationwide via wireless phone ARS, with a margin of error of ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.8%), President Lee's approval rating for state affairs was found to be 54.1%, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous week. The disapproval rating was 41.4%, down 0.8 percentage points.

Notable increases in support were observed in the Yeongnam region, including Daegu and Gyeongbuk (from 32.2% to 41.3%, up 9.1 percentage points) and Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam (from 46.9% to 53.0%, up 6.1 percentage points).

Realmeter analyzed, "The rebound in approval appears to have been driven by symbolic actions such as restoring the Blue House name and the first commute to work, the apology for the Jeju Air disaster, and positive economic indicators including the KOSPI surpassing the 4,300 mark and achieving record-high exports." The agency added, "However, the rise was limited due to controversies such as the nomination of Lee Hyehoon as Minister of Planning and Budget and the allegations of nomination donations involving Kim Byungki and Kang Sunwoo."

In the party support survey (commissioned by Energy Economy News and conducted over two days, December 31 of last year and January 2 this year, targeting 1,000 voters aged 18 and older nationwide via wireless phone ARS, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 4.2%), the Democratic Party of Korea's approval rating rose by 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 45.7%, while the People Power Party's approval rating fell by 0.2 percentage points to 35.5%.

Realmeter commented, "The Democratic Party's approval rating appears to have risen in conjunction with the president's higher approval, benefiting from the ruling party effect." The agency continued, "Despite the negative impact of the nomination donation allegations involving Kim Byungki and Kang Sunwoo, the party quickly contained the fallout through swift actions such as the resignation and expulsion of the floor leader, thereby preventing downward pressure on its approval rating." Realmeter further noted, "Despite negative developments for the ruling party, the People Power Party failed to translate this into a rise in support. As the main opposition party, it has not demonstrated policy leadership on livelihood issues, resulting in stagnation due to the defection of key support bases such as PK, TK, and conservative voters."

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