Lee Jae Myung's approval rating falls for 2nd straight week, settling at 59.1%

By Jung Seok-jun, The Herald Business

President Lee Jae Myung's job approval rating edged down for a second consecutive week, a new poll showed.

A Realmeter survey conducted from May 26 to 29 on behalf of the Energy Economy newspaper, covering 2,008 eligible voters aged 18 and older nationwide, put positive assessments of Lee's job performance at 59.1 percent — down 0.2 percentage points from the previous week.

The president's approval rating has followed a gradual downward trend over two consecutive weeks, slipping from 60.5 percent in the second week of May to 59.3 percent in the third week and 59.1 percent in the fourth.

Negative assessments rose 0.7 percentage points to 36.8 percent, while 4.2 percent of respondents said they did not know.

Realmeter said the Kospi's record-breaking rally provided an economic boost, but safety concerns following the Seosomun building collapse offset those gains. Former President Park Geun-hye's active campaign appearances on behalf of the People Power Party also helped consolidate conservative voters, the pollster added.

Breaking down the results by region, approval in the Daejeon, Sejong and Chungcheong area fell 5.9 percentage points to 58.2 percent. Seoul also declined, dropping 2.6 percentage points to 50.8 percent.

By contrast, approval in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province rebounded 3.6 percentage points to 50.2 percent, while the Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang area rose 2.1 percentage points to 56.6 percent. The Gwangju and Jeolla region climbed 3.6 percentage points to 86.1 percent.

Among age groups, voters in their 20s recorded the steepest decline, falling 8.5 percentage points to 42.8 percent. Those in their 50s also slipped, dropping 1.1 percentage points to 70.3 percent.

Voters aged 70 and older posted the largest gain, rising 3.0 percentage points to 54.2 percent. Those in their 60s climbed 2.3 percentage points to 61.9 percent, while respondents in their 30s edged up 1.6 percentage points to 49.5 percent.

Among ideological groups, self-identified moderates gave Lee a 63.2 percent approval rating, up 3.2 percentage points from the previous survey.

The poll was conducted via automated response on mobile phones. Party approval ratings surveyed during the blackout period ahead of the June 3 local elections were not published. For full methodology, visit the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.