Lee's approval rating sinks to new low: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has plummeted to an all-time low of 40.2 percent, according to a recent poll. This marks the sixth week of consecutive declines, shedding light on the growing discontent among the public. The poll, conducted by Realmeter and commissioned by EKN newspaper, surveyed a substantial sample of 2,026 voters between Tuesday and Friday. The rating has plummeted by 2.8 percentage points from the previous week's figure.

A significant portion, 56.9 percent, of the respondents expressed a negative view of Lee's job performance, marking a 2.8 percentage point increase from the prior week's assessment. The pollster, Realmeter, has pinpointed several factors contributing to this downward trend. The primary concern is the growing distrust towards the government's housing policies, particularly following a recent proposal to build apartments in Yongsan Park, a central location in Seoul.

This proposal has sparked controversy, as the chief justice had typically made such recommendations to the president in person, following prior coordination.

Another factor highlighted by the poll is the partisan disagreements surrounding the Supreme Court Chief Justice's recommendation of two new Supreme Court justice nominees to the president. This recommendation was purportedly sent in writing, a deviation from the norm where such decisions are usually made after prior coordination.

The pollster also pointed to security concerns, specifically following the scaled-back military drills between Korea and the United States, which have further fueled the decline in public approval.