Lee's approval rating at 44%; Democratic Party support hits post-inauguration low: NBS poll

A new poll shows the Democratic Party of Korea's approval rating has fallen to its lowest point since President Lee Jae Myung's government took office.

The National Barometer Survey (NBS), released Thursday and conducted by Macromill Embrain, KStat Research, Korea Research and Hankook Research from Monday to Tuesday among 1,000 adults aged 18 and older, found that 44 percent of respondents gave a positive assessment of President Lee's job performance — up 1 percentage point from the previous survey conducted two weeks earlier. Those giving a negative assessment stood at 49 percent, down 1 percentage point from the prior poll.

Negative assessments outweighed positive ones across all age groups except those in their 40s and 50s. By ideological leaning, 70 percent of progressive respondents gave a positive assessment, while 74 percent of conservatives gave a negative one. Among moderates, positive assessments came in at 48 percent and negative at 45 percent.

When asked about trust in President Lee's leadership, 47 percent said they trusted him, while 48 percent said they did not.

Meanwhile, party support stood at 33 percent for the Democratic Party of Korea and 28 percent for the People Power Party. The Democratic Party's figure was down 2 percentage points from the previous survey, marking its lowest rating under the current government in NBS polling. The People Power Party rose 3 percentage points over the same period.

The Rebuilding Korea Party polled at 4 percent, the Reform Party at 2 percent and the Progressive Party at 1 percent. Some 28 percent of respondents said they did not support any party.

The NBS poll also asked respondents how the government should respond to a recent landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone. Some 65 percent said the government should respond firmly to North Korea, compared with 32 percent who said it should work to reduce military tensions on the peninsula.

By ideological leaning, support for a firm response was highest among conservatives at 86 percent and moderates at 64 percent, while 57 percent of progressive respondents favored reducing military tensions.

The NBS survey was conducted via telephone interviews using mobile virtual numbers, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level and a response rate of 16.8 percent. Further details are available on the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.