Lee Jae-myung's Approval Rating Hits Record Low of 37%, with Negative Ratings at Record High of 56%

President Lee Jae-myung's positive rating for his handling of state affairs fell to 37%, the lowest since taking office, while his negative rating rose to 56%, the highest to date, a survey found on Sept. 18.

Housing policy was the most frequently cited reason for negative assessments at 20%, followed by personnel management (16%), the economy and livelihoods (9%), the reduction of prosecutorial powers (5%), and ethical issues and attempts to evade his own trial (5%). Gallup Korea explained that housing issues have topped the list of reasons for negative ratings since the fourth week of July, and that personnel issues have ranked second since the recent ministerial appointments.

For positive assessments, diplomacy was the most cited reason at 26%, followed by the economy and livelihoods (11%), "performing well overall" (6%), and policies for ordinary citizens and welfare (5%).

Party support stood at 40% for the Democratic Party, 27% for the People Power Party, 3% each for the Reform Party and the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, and 1% for the Progressive Party, with 25% undecided. Compared with last week's survey (38% for the Democratic Party and 29% for the People Power Party), the Democratic Party gained ground while the People Power Party declined.

The survey was conducted via telephone interviews and has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Detailed results are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.