President Lee Jae-myung's job approval rating fell for a second straight week to 35.2%, according to a poll released on the 12th.
Realmeter, which conducted the survey for Asia Economic Daily from the 6th to the 8th among 1,504 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide, said positive assessments dropped 2.2 percentage points from the previous week, while negative assessments rose 1.6 percentage points to 61.4%. Those who said they did not know accounted for 3.4%.
By region, positive assessments fell 8.7 percentage points from the previous week to 33.7% in Daejeon, Sejong and the Chungcheong area, and dropped 4.7 percentage points to 30.4% in Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
By age group, approval fell 7.6 percentage points to 31.7% among those aged 70 and over, and declined 5.1 percentage points to 37.3% among those in their 40s.
Realmeter said the decline appeared to stem from a cluster of negative developments on personnel, security and real estate that dominated the parliamentary audit agenda, including the dispute over judicial independence involving Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de, the partisan clash over the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone, and rising home prices and lease costs in the greater Seoul area.
In a separate survey of party support conducted on the 7th and 8th among 1,004 men and women aged 18 or older nationwide, the People Power Party drew 41.3% and the Democratic Party 35.5%.
The People Power Party gained 2.9 percentage points from the previous week, while the Democratic Party plunged 7.0 percentage points. The shift put the People Power Party ahead of the Democratic Party by 5.8 percentage points within a single week, with the gap placing the two parties in a close race within the margin of error.
The Rebuilding Korea Party rose 1.1 percentage points to 6.3%, and the New Reform Party gained 1.3 percentage points to 2.8%. The Progressive Party drew 1.2%, other parties 1.8%, and unaffiliated voters 11.0%.
By region, Democratic Party support fell in Daejeon, Sejong and the Chungcheong area, down 14.0 percentage points; Incheon and Gyeonggi, down 10.0 percentage points; Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province, down 6.8 percentage points; and Gwangju, South Jeolla Province and Jeonbuk State, down 5.7 percentage points. The People Power Party rose 11.8 percentage points in Daejeon, Sejong and the Chungcheong area and 5.9 percentage points in Incheon and Gyeonggi.
By age group, Democratic Party support fell 17.0 percentage points among those in their 40s, 8.8 percentage points among those in their 20s, and 7.0 percentage points among those in their 60s. The People Power Party gained 5.6 percentage points among those in their 60s.
Among men, Democratic Party support fell 10.5 percentage points, while the People Power Party rose 8.4 percentage points. By ideological leaning, Democratic Party support among progressives dropped 14.0 percentage points.
Realmeter said the Democratic Party's sizable decline reflected an exodus of supporters, concentrated among progressives and voters in their 40s, as negative developments piled up, including the clash with Chief Justice Jo Hee-de at the parliamentary legislation and judiciary committee and the push for his impeachment, friction with the Rebuilding Korea Party over investigative powers, and instability in lease markets in the greater Seoul area.
On the People Power Party, Realmeter said support rose as the party benefited from critical public opinion toward the government and the ruling party, after sharpening its offensive early in the parliamentary audit through security issues such as the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone and the fight over securing Chief Justice Jo's testimony and his impeachment, compounded by controversies over government policies including a full survey of farmland and investment in the United States.
All surveys were conducted entirely by automated response system on mobile phones. The presidential approval survey had a response rate of 2.8% and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The party support survey had a response rate of 2.6% and a margin of error of 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.