{
  "id": 7220164,
  "title": "President Lee's approval rating hits new low amid controversy over Cabinet reshuffle: poll",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/president-lees-approval-rating-hits-new-low-amid-controversy-over-7220164",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-14T01:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/politics/20260914/lees-approval-rating-hits-new-low-amid-controversy-over-cabinet-reshuffle-poll"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating has plummeted to its lowest point since he assumed office, according to a poll released on Monday. Conducted by Realmeter, the survey polled 2,515 adults from Monday to Friday and found that 33.8% of respondents had a positive view of Lee's handling of state affairs, a drop of 3.6 percentage points from the prior week. His disapproval rating increased by 3.8 points to 63.3%. The poll attributed the decline in Lee's popularity to negative public sentiment surrounding his recent Cabinet reshuffle, the potential deployment of military assets to the Strait of Hormuz, and uncertainty over real estate policies. The pollster also noted a significant decline in support among liberal voters and young adults, with support from those aged 18 to 29 falling by 10.2 percentage points. President Lee's selections for justice minister and gender equality minister have been the focus of controversy in recent weeks. Representative Yong Hye-in of the minor Basic Income Party, who was appointed as the new minister of gender equality, stepped down amidst the turmoil.",
  "summary": "President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell to the lowest level since he took office, marking the ninth consecutive week of decline, a poll showed Monday. In the poll conducted on 2,515 adults from Monday to Friday by Realmeter and commissioned by the EKN newspaper, 33.8 percent positively assessed Lee's handling of state affairs, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous week. His…",
  "key_points": [
    "President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating at 33.8%, lowest since his term began",
    "Disapproval rating rose to 63.3%, a 3.8-point increase",
    "Cabinet reshuffle and military deployment to Strait of Hormuz blamed for decline"
  ],
  "editors_take": "President Lee's plummeting approval rating signals a significant erosion of his support, particularly among liberal voters and young adults, amid controversy over his Cabinet reshuffle and policy uncertainty.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Lee's approval rating hits new low amid controversy over Cabinet reshuffle: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/lees-approval-rating-hits-new-low-amid-controversy-over-cabinet",
        "published": "2026-09-14T01:27:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "President Lee's approval rating hits new low amid controversy over Cabinet reshuffle: poll",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/14/president-lees-approval-rating-hits-new-low-amid-controversy-over",
        "published": "2026-09-14T01:47:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}