[PolPol News] President Lee's Approval Rating at 61%... "Positive Assessment Across All Age Groups Except Those in Their 20s"

NBS Public Opinion Survey
Democratic Party Support Drops Due to Kim Byungki Controversy
35% Say Lee Hyehoon Nomination Was Good, 42% Say Poor Decision

President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating for his administration has seen a slight increase, while support for the Democratic Party has dropped to the 30% range, influenced by allegations related to former floor leader Kim Byungki.

According to the National Barometer Survey (NBS) conducted by Embrain Public, KSTAT Research, Korea Research, and Hankook Research from January 5 to 7, targeting 1,005 men and women aged 18 and over nationwide via mobile phone interviews (with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and a response rate of 18.2%), 61% of respondents gave a positive assessment ("very good" + "good") of President Lee's administration, while 29% gave a negative assessment ("very poor" + "poor"). Compared to the fourth week of December, the positive rating increased by 2 percentage points, while the negative rating decreased by 3 percentage points. NBS explained, "A majority in all age groups except those aged 18 to 29 gave a positive assessment."

President Lee Jae-myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the Korea-China MOU signing ceremony held on the 5th at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo by Yonhap News

In terms of party support, the approval rating for the Democratic Party dropped by 2 percentage points from the previous survey to 39%. The controversy surrounding former floor leader Kim is believed to have negatively impacted the party. Support for the People Power Party rose by 3 percentage points to 23% compared to the previous survey.

This survey also included evaluations of economic policies, which showed a significant increase compared to two years ago (January 2024, during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration). Positive responses regarding "policies supporting vulnerable and socially disadvantaged groups" accounted for 62%, a 25 percentage point increase from 37% in 2024. Positive assessments of "support policies for small business owners and SMEs" reached 50%, up 19 percentage points from two years ago. Positive evaluations of "job creation and employment policies" stood at 46%, a 16 percentage point increase from two years prior. Although positive assessments of "housing and real estate policies" were relatively low at 36%, this still represented an 8 percentage point improvement compared to two years ago.

Regarding the policy to provide support measures instead of legislating a 4.5-day workweek, 54% expressed support while 35% were opposed. On the plan to strengthen regulations on the comprehensive wage system, 52% were in favor and 33% were against.

Regarding the nomination of Lee Hyehoon as Minister of Planning and Budget, 35% of respondents said it was a good decision, while 42% said it was a poor decision.

On Korea-China relations, 48% of respondents said the country should maintain a certain distance, while 46% favored maintaining a friendly relationship, showing similar levels of opinion.

For more detailed information on the public opinion survey, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.