President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating edged up to 39%, according to a poll released on Oct. 16.
Gallup Korea surveyed 1,003 adults aged 18 and older nationwide from Oct. 13 to 15 and released the results on Oct. 16. Lee's approval rating stood at 39%, up 2 percentage points from the previous week. After declining steadily since the Chuseok holiday, his rating managed a modest rebound in October. Negative assessments, or those who said he was "doing a poor job," came to 52%, up 1 percentage point from the previous week. Nine percent withheld an opinion.
By age group, negative assessments outweighed positive ones in all brackets except those in their 40s. Among respondents in their 40s, 53% gave a positive assessment and 42% a negative one. Among those in their 50s, negative assessments (50%) slightly exceeded positive ones (45%).
Diplomacy was the most cited reason for positive assessments at 20%, followed by the economy and livelihoods (11%), communication and an overall sense that he is doing well (7% each). Housing policy topped the list of reasons for negative assessments at 19%. Other reasons included the economy, livelihoods and the handling of the stock market (12%) and defense, security and North Korea policy (11%).
Gallup Korea said housing issues have ranked as the top reason for negative assessments since the fourth week of July, while mentions related to defense and prosecution reform declined from the previous week. "The increase in economy-related criticism, including the handling of the stock market, appears linked to the KOSPI's seven straight sessions of losses, which pulled the index back from the 7,000 level to the 5,500 level," the pollster said.
In party support, the Democratic Party of Korea registered 36%, up 1 percentage point from the previous survey. The People Power Party also rose 1 percentage point to 27%. Among moderate respondents, 38% said they supported the Democratic Party and 18% the People Power Party. The Rebuilding Korea Party drew 3%, the Reform Party 2% and the Progressive Party 1%. Those with no party preference accounted for 29%.
With support for the government and the ruling party sliding in recent weeks, the view that the government should be checked also prevailed for the next general election. Asked about the 23rd National Assembly election set for April of the year after next, 34% said more ruling party candidates should win to support the current government, while 47% said more opposition candidates should win to keep it in check. Eighteen percent withheld an opinion. Among respondents with no party preference, sentiment tilted toward an opposition victory (49%) over a ruling party victory (16%). Among moderates, the gap between a ruling party victory (36%) and an opposition victory (44%) was narrower.
The survey was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) using randomly selected virtual mobile phone numbers provided by the country's three wireless carriers. The response rate was 10.4%. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.