[Edaily Reporter Kim Ju-hwan ] A public opinion poll released on the 14th showed that President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating for his administration stood at 34.9%, marking a new all-time low since he took office. Negative evaluations accounted for a majority across all age groups, and negative sentiment also prevailed in all regions except Honam.

According to the results of a regular public opinion poll conducted by the Korea Social Opinion Institute (KSOI), a specialized polling agency, on September 12–13 among 1,001 voters nationwide aged 18 and older, President Lee’s approval rating for his handling of state affairs stood at 34.9%, down 3.6 percentage points (p) from the previous survey (the fifth week of September). This marks the lowest figure since the institute began conducting these surveys.

Conversely, the disapproval rating rose by 1.0 percentage points from the previous survey to 58.8%. The gap between positive and negative ratings widened to 23.9 percentage points. In detail, 19.8% said the President was “doing very well,” 15.1% said he was “doing generally well,” 43.8% said he was “doing very poorly,” and 15.0% said he was “doing generally poorly.” “Don’t know” accounted for 6.3%.

By region, negative evaluations exceeded the majority in all regions except Gwangju, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla. Specifically: △Daegu and North Gyeongsang (positive 28.7%, negative 56.0%) △Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang (positive 30.9%, negative 63.6%) △ Daejeon, Sejong, and Chungcheong (positive 31.9%, negative 63.0%) △ Gangwon and Jeju (positive 33.8%, negative 61.4%) △ Gyeonggi and Incheon (positive 35.2%, negative 59.7%) △Seoul (Positive 35.6%·Negative 61.1%). Negative evaluations were highest in this order. Even in Gwangju, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla—the only region where positive evaluations outnumbered negative ones (Positive 48.9%·Negative 40.6%)—positive evaluations plummeted by 12.9 percentage points compared to the previous survey (61.8%).

In the age-based survey, negative evaluations accounted for a majority across all age groups. The percentage of negative evaluations was △those in their 60s (positive 31.1%·negative 65.6%) △those in their 30s (positive 29.9%·negative 63.6%) △those aged 70 and older (positive 30.9%·negative 63.2%) △those in their 50s (positive 41.8%, negative 54.9%) △those in their 40s (positive 41.9%, negative 53.6%) △those aged 18–29 (positive 32.1%, negative 51.4%). By ideological orientation, 55.1% of progressives gave a positive evaluation, while 78.9% of conservatives gave a negative evaluation.

The reasons cited for positive evaluations of his job performance were “economic recovery” (12.5%), “foreign affairs and national security” (11.9%), “welfare and labor” (10.0%), and “cracking down on subversive forces” (5.0%), in that order. Conversely, the most common reason for a negative evaluation was “foreign affairs and national security” (17.6%), followed by “economic recovery” (16.6%) and “national unity” (15.4%).

KSOI analyzed that the decline in approval ratings was driven by a combination of factors, including public criticism of major policies such as real estate and farmland surveys, as well as diplomatic and security setbacks—such as the repatriation of North Korean prisoners of war and the landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)—and controversies surrounding personnel vetting. Meanwhile, regarding the appointment of Kim Ji-yong as Commissioner of the Corruption Investigation Bureau, opposition (35.0%) was 10.2 percentage points higher than support (24.8%).

In the party support survey, the People Power Party registered 37.1% and the Democratic Party of Korea 34.9%. Compared to the previous survey, the People Power Party fell by 0.6 percentage points and the Democratic Party by 1.4 percentage points; the gap between the two parties was 2.2 percentage points, which falls within the margin of error. This was followed by the Cho Kuk Innovation Party at 3.8%, the Reform Party at 2.3%, the Progressive Party at 1.4%, and other parties at 2.0%. Those without a preferred party accounted for 16.6%, while 1.7% were undecided.

This survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire via a 100% wireless automated response system (ARS). The response rate was 5.8%, and the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. For more details, please refer to the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.