[Edaily Reporter Choi Hoon Gil ] President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating stands at 37%, and the Democratic Party of Korea’s approval rating stands at 35%, marking the lowest levels for both since the Lee Jae-myung administration took office.

Gallup Korea announced on the 9th that, according to a survey of 1,000 voters conducted from the 6th to the 8th, the approval rating for President Lee’s job performance stood at 37%. This is the same level as the previous survey conducted in the third week of September and marks the lowest figure since he took office. However, the disapproval rating stood at 51%, down 5 percentage points from the previous survey. Twelve percent remained undecided.

Positive evaluations that President Lee is “doing well” were most common among Democratic Party supporters (73%) and those with progressive leanings (65%), while negative evaluations that he is “doing poorly” were most prevalent among People Power Party supporters (92%) and those with conservative leanings (77%). Negative views also prevailed among centrists and those without a party affiliation.

Among those in their 50s (55%:38%), positive responses were more common, while opinions were evenly split among women (41%:45%) and those in their 40s (44%:48%). Among men (32%:58%) and other age groups, negative evaluations were more prevalent.

In particular, President Lee’s approval rating was lowest among those aged 18–29, at 24%. It was also relatively low among those in their 30s, at 30%. This was followed by 44% among those in their 40s, 55% among those in their 50s, 33% among those in their 60s, and 28% among those aged 70 and older.

By region, approval ratings were in the 20s in Daegu and North Gyeongsang (26%) and Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong (28%). This was followed by Seoul at 31%, Incheon and Gyeonggi at 36%, Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang at 39%, and South Jeolla, Gwangju, and North Jeolla at 65%.

Regarding the reasons for negative evaluations of the president’s job performance, real estate policy was cited by 18% of respondents—the highest percentage. This was followed by national defense, security, and North Korea policy (15%); reduction of prosecutorial authority and abolition of the Prosecutors’ Office (8%); “generally doing a poor job”; and the economy and people’s livelihoods (7% each); as well as moral issues, avoidance of personal trials, and authoritarianism or high-handedness (4% each).

The real estate issue has topped the list of reasons for negative evaluations since the fourth week of July. As confirmation hearings concluded, mentions of personnel issues decreased, while “comprehensive survey of farmland” (2%) was added to the list. The increase in criticism regarding national defense and prosecutorial reforms is interpreted as a result of the landmine explosion incident in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the aftermath of the launch of the Major Crimes Investigation Agency and the Public Prosecution Service on the 2nd.

Party approval ratings were as follows: the Democratic Party of Korea at 35%, the People Power Party at 26%, the Cho Kuk Innovation Party at 3%, the Reform Party at 2%, and the Progressive Party, other parties, and organizations each at 1%. The Democratic Party’s approval rating fell by 5 percentage points compared to the previous survey. The People Power Party’s approval rating dropped by 1 percentage point compared to the previous survey. The Democratic Party’s approval rating hit its lowest level since the current administration took office.

This survey was conducted via telephone interviews using random sampling of mobile phone virtual numbers (100%). The margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The response rate was 9.7%. For more details, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.