Lee's approval rating dips after 2-week rise: poll

President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating dipped slightly last week after a two-week increase, according to a recent poll. Conducted among 2,515 adults nationwide from last Monday to Friday, the survey by Realmeter revealed that 37.4% of respondents had a positive view of Lee's job performance, a 0.5 percentage point decrease from the previous week.

The negative assessment of his performance stood at 59.8%, a 0.3 percentage point drop. Meanwhile, 2.8% of participants expressed uncertainty about their opinion. Lee's approval rating had risen for two consecutive weeks, primarily due to his clarification of key political issues during a press conference on September 18. The announcement of welfare and livelihood policies using excess tax revenue also contributed to the positive trend.

However, negative factors such as personnel, security, and livelihood-related concerns appear to have had a more significant impact on Lee's approval rating. These factors included a controversy surrounding the establishment of new investigative agencies - the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency (SCIA) and the Prosecution Service - as well as the appointment of the SCIA chief. Additionally, a recent land mine blast further exacerbated negative perceptions.