Lee’s approval drops to lowest level since taking office

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has hit its lowest point since he assumed office, according to a new poll. A Gallup Korea survey of 1,000 Koreans found that 44% approved of his performance, while 46% disapproved, marking a 7% drop from the previous 51% approval rating. Lee's disapproval rating surged 8 points from 38%, surpassing approval for the first time.

Unaligned with a political party, 55% disapproved of his work, compared to 24% who expressed approval. Moderate respondents were nearly split, with 43% approving and 45% disapproving. Real estate policy emerged as the primary reason for disapproval at 30%, followed by the economy and people's livelihoods at 13%, and a general assessment that he was "doing a poor job" at 7%.

For those who approved of Lee, foreign policy topped the list at 19%, followed by the economy and people's livelihoods at 15%, and a sense of doing a "good job" at 8%. The Democratic Party secured 41% support, while the People Power Party had 25%. The Reform Party stood at 3%, the Rebuilding Korea Party at 2%, and the Progressive Party and other parties or organizations each had 1% support.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents stated they had no party affiliation. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level and was conducted through telephone interviews from August 11-13.