[Polpol News] President Lee's Approval Rating Surpasses 60% Again... Opinions Split on Han Donghoon's Expulsion

Gallup Poll: Democratic Party 43%, People Power Party 22%
33% Say Han Donghoon's Expulsion Was Appropriate, 34% Inappropriate
38% Optimistic About Economy... 45% Expect Stock Market to Rise

President Lee Jaemyung's approval rating for his job performance has risen, once again surpassing 60%. Public opinion was divided over the People Power Party's Ethics Committee's decision to expel former leader Han Donghoon.

According to a public opinion poll released by Gallup on January 23 (conducted from January 20 to 22 via mobile phone interviews with 1,000 adults aged 18 and over nationwide; margin of error ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level; response rate 12.3%), President Lee's approval rating for job performance was 61%, up 3 percentage points from last week's survey. The disapproval rating, indicating those who believe he is not doing well, fell by 2 percentage points to 30%.

Yonhap News Agency

In terms of party support, the Democratic Party of Korea saw its approval rating rise by 2 percentage points to 43%. The People Power Party's approval rating dropped by 2 percentage points to 22%.

Regarding current issues, public opinion on the People Power Party Ethics Committee's decision to expel former leader Han was split: 33% responded that the decision was appropriate, 34% said it was inappropriate, and 33% were undecided. Among People Power Party supporters (223 respondents), 48% viewed the decision as appropriate, while 35% considered it inappropriate.

Concerning the economy this year, 38% responded that it would improve, 36% believed it would worsen, and 23% thought it would remain similar to last year. Optimism increased by 7 percentage points compared to last month, while pessimism decreased by 4 percentage points.

As for the stock market outlook (with the index at the 4,800-4,900 level at the time of the survey), 45% expected it to rise, 25% expected it to fall, 15% anticipated no change, and 15% were undecided.

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