Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has experienced a slight decline this week, following a rebound observed in the previous week's poll, as shown in a survey released on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a survey conducted by Gallup Korea from Tuesday through Thursday involving 1,002 participants aged 18 and older revealed that 53 percent approved of President Lee's management of state affairs, marking a decrease of 1 percentage point from the prior week.
The findings indicate that Lee's approval rating had previously rebounded to 54 percent last week after reaching its lowest level in late June. Meanwhile, 35 percent of respondents expressed disapproval of the president's performance, which also decreased by 1 percentage point from the previous week. Key reasons for the positive evaluations included Lee's handling of the economy and people's livelihoods at 19 percent, diplomacy at 17 percent, and overall performance at 10 percent.
The poll did not specify reasons for the decline in Lee's approval rating. However, respondents cited concerns over the economy, people's livelihoods, and the foreign exchange rate as the main reasons for their negative assessments, at 21 percent. On the topic of the government's "three mega projects" initiative, 57 percent of participants believed it would contribute positively to balanced regional development, while 26 percent felt it might increase regional disparities.
This initiative includes plans for substantial investments by major companies like Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc., focusing on semiconductors, physical artificial intelligence (AI), and AI data centers. In the same survey, the ruling Democratic Party's approval rating increased by 1 percentage point to 42 percent, whereas the main opposition People Power Party saw a decline of 2 percentage points, bringing its approval to 24 percent. The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.