President Lee Jae Myung's Approval Rating Hits New Low

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since he took office, according to a poll released Monday. The survey, conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by the EKN newspaper, shows that Lee's approval rating dropped 2.6 percentage points from the previous week to 43.3 percent, marking the fourth consecutive weekly decline. His disapproval rating rose 2.5 percentage points to 53 percent.

The poll, which surveyed 2,514 people aged 18 and older between August 3 and August 7, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. Data indicates the decline was particularly sharp in Seoul, where approval fell 5.9 percentage points, as well as among voters in their 60s and 70s.

Realmeter attributed the decline to several factors. These include proposed property tax revisions targeting high end homes and non resident owners, as well as a revision to the Criminal Procedure Act that aims to strip prosecutors of their authority to conduct direct investigations. Other contributing factors cited were a prolonged heat wave and controversy regarding Lee's remarks about the Korea Military Academy being at the center of past military coups.

In a separate poll on party support, the ruling Democratic Party's support slipped 0.5 percentage points to 44.6 percent, while the main opposition People Power Party fell 0.1 percentage point to 37.6 percent. This second survey was conducted among 1,007 individuals and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.