President Lee Jae Myung's Approval Rating Drops to 40 Percent

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has fallen to 40 percent, marking the lowest level since he took office in June of last year. According to a Gallup Korea poll of 1,001 people aged 18 and older conducted from Tuesday through Thursday, the rating represents a 2 percentage point decrease from the previous week. His disapproval rating rose 1 percentage point to 51 percent, which is the highest level of his presidency.

Reasons for positive assessments included the economy and people's livelihoods at 14 percent, diplomacy at 13 percent, and overall performance at 10 percent. Negative assessments were primarily driven by real estate policies at 23 percent, followed by the economy and people's livelihoods at 11 percent, and personnel appointments at 9 percent. Gallup noted that real estate policies have been the primary driver of negative sentiment since late July and that concerns over personnel appointments are likely linked to Lee's recent nomination of six new ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle.

Political party support also shifted. Support for the ruling Democratic Party fell 1 percentage point to 38 percent, while the main opposition People Power Party rose 5 percentage points to a record high of 30 percent under the current administration. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

While center and center right sources reported the data neutrally, a center source framed the decline as a failure of the recent cabinet revamp to stem the slide in support.