President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating rebounded to the high 30% range for the first time in three weeks, according to a poll released on the 19th.
Realmeter surveyed 2,520 people aged 18 and over nationwide from the 12th to the 16th at the request of the Asia Business Daily. Lee's positive rating came in at 37.3%, up 2.1 percentage points from the previous week. His negative rating fell 1.0 percentage point to 60.4%, while 2.3% said they did not know. The gap between positive and negative assessments stood at 23.1 percentage points, outside the margin of error.
The increase recovered most of the 2.2 percentage point decline recorded the previous week, returning the figure to the level seen in the first week of October at 37.4%. By region, the rating rose in Incheon and Gyeonggi by 6.0 percentage points and in Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong by 3.6 percentage points, while it dropped 5.0 percentage points in Gwangju, Jeonnam and Jeonbuk State. By age, it climbed 8.1 percentage points among those aged 70 and over and 3.6 percentage points among those in their 60s, while falling 3.3 percentage points among those in their 30s. By ideological leaning, the rating rose among both progressives at 4.7 percentage points and conservatives at 2.4 percentage points.
Realmeter said the rebound was driven by the government's emphasis on measures against violent crime following a knife attack in Incheon, along with policies on housing, jobs and finance. However, it added that part of the gain was given back later in the week as a sharp drop in the stock market spread anxiety through financial markets.
In party support, the Democratic Party of Korea edged up slightly but the People Power Party maintained a lead within the margin of error. A survey of 1,005 eligible voters aged 18 and over nationwide conducted on the 15th and 16th found the Democratic Party at 36.2%, up 0.7 percentage point from the previous week, and the People Power Party at 40.9%, down 0.4 percentage point. The gap between the two parties was 4.7 percentage points, remaining within the margin of error for a ninth consecutive week.
The Rebuilding Korea Party rose 0.6 percentage point to 6.9%, marking a third straight week of gains. The New Reform Party stood at 1.8%, the Progressive Party at 1.1%, and unaffiliated voters at 11.1%.
Among moderates, the People Power Party led with 38.8%, 1.1 percentage points ahead of the Democratic Party at 37.7%. Realmeter said the Democratic Party gained slightly from security responses and from the fallout of clashes with the opposition, while the People Power Party saw some of its traditional supporters drift away amid internal political disputes and friction within its leadership.
Both surveys were conducted entirely by wireless automated response system. The presidential approval survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 2.7%. The party support survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 2.7%. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.