President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating fell for a second consecutive week to 35.2%, while his disapproval rating climbed back to 61.4% after dipping into the 50% range a week earlier.
Approval of Lee's handling of state affairs came in at 35.2%, down 2.2 percentage points from the previous week, according to a Realmeter survey of 1,504 voters aged 18 and over conducted nationwide from the 6th to the 8th and released on the 12th. Disapproval rose 1.6 percentage points to 61.4%, returning to above 60%.
By ideological leaning, approval among conservatives fell 3.9 percentage points from the prior week to 10.2%. Approval also slipped among progressives, down 1.4 percentage points to 53.0%, while moderates registered 39.2%, a decline of 3.5 percentage points. By region, disapproval exceeded approval everywhere except Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, Jeonbuk State and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.
Realmeter said the decline appeared to stem from a cluster of negative developments in personnel, security and real estate that dominated the parliamentary audit of government agencies, citing the dispute over Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de and judicial independence, partisan clashes over security following a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, and rising jeonse, monthly rent and apartment prices in the greater Seoul area. Jeonse is a Korean lease system requiring a large lump-sum deposit instead of monthly rent.
In party support, the People Power Party overtook the Democratic Party of Korea. In a survey of 1,004 voters aged 18 and over conducted nationwide on the 7th and 8th, support for the People Power Party rose 2.9 percentage points from the previous week to 41.3%. Support for the Democratic Party fell 7.0 percentage points to 35.5%. The gap between the two parties, which the Democratic Party had led by 4.1 percentage points, flipped to a 5.8-percentage-point advantage for the People Power Party. The Rebuilding Korea Party drew 6.3% and the Reform Party 2.8%.
Realmeter said the People Power Party sharpened its offensive against the government early in the parliamentary audit through security issues including the DMZ landmine explosion, as well as efforts to summon Chief Justice Jo as a witness and the dispute over impeachment. "With controversies over government policies such as the comprehensive farmland survey and investment in the U.S. piling on, the party appears to have gained from the backlash against the government and the ruling party, lifting its support," Realmeter said.
By region, the People Power Party led the Democratic Party everywhere except Gwangju and South Jeolla Province and Jeonbuk State. Support among voters in their 40s, a core Democratic Party base, plunged 17.0 percentage points from the previous week to 36.7%. Among those in their 50s, support fell 1.4 percentage points to 48.7%.
The surveys were conducted entirely by automated response system on mobile phones. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level for the presidential approval survey and plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level for the party support survey. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.