South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s approval rating has declined for a fourth consecutive week, reaching its lowest level since he took office, according to a poll released Monday.
Lee’s approval rating fell 2.6 percentage points from the previous week to 43.3%, while 53% of respondents disapproved of his performance, The Korea Herald reported, citing a Realmeter survey.
The poll surveyed 2,514 voters between Aug. 3 and 7 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The sharpest decline was recorded in Seoul, where Lee’s approval rating fell 5.9 percentage points. Support also dropped 5.5 points in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province and 4.8 points in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
Approval among older voters also weakened significantly, declining 5.6 percentage points among those aged 70 and above and 5.3 points among voters in their 60s.
Realmeter attributed the decline partly to declining support among Seoul residents, conservatives and older voters amid controversies surrounding real estate tax changes, amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, economic uncertainty and a prolonged heat wave.
A separate Realmeter poll found that Lee’s ruling Democratic Party continued to lead in party support, receiving 44.6% compared with 37.6% for the main opposition People Power Party.
PRESS UPDATE