Lee's approval rating falls below 40% for 1st time: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating dipped below the 40 percent threshold for the first time since his inauguration in June, according to a recent poll conducted by Realmeter for the EKN newspaper. The survey, which polled 2,509 individuals aged 18 and older, revealed that 38.9 percent of respondents had a positive view of Lee's performance, a drop of 1.3 percentage points from the previous week.

Conversely, 58.7 percent expressed a negative view, an increase of 1.8 percentage points. Realmeter attributed the rating decline to mounting public dissatisfaction with housing prices, controversy surrounding the presidential office's refusal to appoint a Supreme Court justice nominee, and concerns about police handling of a missing woman case on the southern island of Jeju.

Notably, Lee's office recently opted not to nominate one of two Supreme Court justice candidates recommended by the chief justice, citing a lack of prior consultation with the office. The survey's margin of error was reported to be plus or minus 2 percentage points at a 9 percent confidence level.